Carpe Diem
by LittleTiger488
Summary: A collection of one-shots exploring the characters at all ages, their relationships, and above all else... their motto of living each day to it's fullest.
1. Finally Happening

**_Author's note: The SDCC panel and the Star Wars special got me back into this fandom and I thought hey! Let's write some one shots! Each chapter will be a new little story. Some will contain MATURE SITUATIONS where all characters are older and consenting. Nothing explicit, just mature ;)_**

Today's story is Phinabella based. The news about the upcoming age-up episode got me hyped, but my headcanon has them start dating in high school. Here's my take on the subject of Phineas and Isabella!

All characters (c) to Disney 

**_Finally Happening_**

Puberty had hit Phineas Flynn like a rocket powered train carrying nothing but cement blocks. His peers still teased him that it took till freshman year of high school for the boy to realize the opposite gender could be a lot more interesting to stare at than his blueprints. And it was the day Isabella Garcia-Shapiro showed up to homeroom in a new dress that hugged curves she'd been developing all summer long. Curves hidden under summer t-shirts. Curves that made Phineas look up from said blueprints.

She'd said good morning to him like she always did. He suddenly had forgotten how words worked. She took the seat right in front of him like she always did. He dropped his pencil, letting it clatter to the floor and stay there. She flipped her hair over her shoulder, much like she had always done for as long as he'd known her. And the world dissolved around him.

Had the girl that lived across the street from him always been so captivating? Oh sure, she was adorable with her charming angelic catch phrase. And when she tilted her head to the side. And when her smile made her eyes squint.

Was… was he attracted to Isabella?

Phineas contemplated that thought all through home room. He had watched his step brother, a half year older than him and there for a sophomore in high school, leave a trail of broken hearts wherever he went. Ferb was a ladies' man, through and through.

Even if the red head was attracted to Isabella, he was clueless how to approach the subject. Phineas wasn't quite the Casanova his brother was. He wasn't sure he even knew how to flirt. And he'd only been to one dance in junior high where everyone had just gone as friends.

He'd finally shaken himself out of his stupor around lunch time when he stumbled to the table and sat beside his brother.

"Ya alright there, dinner bell?" Buford asked between bites of his sandwich as Phineas struggled to pop the top of his soda can.

"High school still does dances right? Like junior high did? With the gym and the dark lights and the punch and stuff?" the fourteen year old blurted out, giving up on his drink and staring down the other boys like his question had been the most important one he'd ever asked.

Ferb, Baljeet and Buford just stared at his lack of context.

"…well?!" Phineas gestured desperately.

"Yes Phineas, high school does… dances," Baljeet raised a brow. He looked to his friend's step brother for confirmation that the fidgety boy before them hadn't undergone a lobotomy since yesterday. Ferb merely shrugged and opened Phineas' soda for him.

"Okay good. Good…" Phineas muttered, tapping his finger tips together as he stared down at the table top. Asking Isabella to a dance could be a good way to move away from a friendship. Wait… move away from a friend- could that be a bad thing? Would that ruin them?! Maybe this was a bad idea.

Buford and Baljeet shared curious looks before returning them to Phineas. "….Why?"

Phineas looked back up and around at his friends as if he just realized they were sitting there despite having asked them a question. Ferb rolled his eyes and finished the bite of his sandwich, setting it back down on the wrapping. "Judging by the sweaty palms, shaking fingers, paranoid pupil dilation and of course the suddenness of such a question… dear brother, might we be experiencing our first foray into the world of dating?" the corner of Ferb's mouth turned up ever so slightly as he teased his step sibling.

Phineas immediately tensed, Baljeet and Burford grinning excitedly across the table from them.

"You're kidding me! Dorito head's balls finally dropped?!"

"Buford!" Baljeet glared disapprovingly.

"No! No this is rich! This is comedy gold!" the larger boy slapped his palm down on the table top. "This day needs to go down in the history books! So who is she?!"

Phineas tensed further, slowly sinking in his seat as the three boys stared him down expectantly. When they were given no immediate answer, Buford cleared his throat awkwardly.

"… who is… _he_?" the former bully tried to ask sensitively, making Baljeet bring his palm to his face.

Phineas groaned, burying his face in his folded arms across the table top. Ferb gently rested his hand on his best friend and brother's shoulder, patting gently.

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that!" Buford tried to recover. "I'm sure he's great! I'm sure he's-"

"I'm not gay Buford," Phineas' muffled response cut him off, keeping his head buried.

"Not that there would be anything wrong with that!"

The comforting feeling of his brother's hand on his shoulder coaxed Phineas to sit back up. "You guys are not going to believe this," he sighed, picking up his fork and moving around the food on his plate, the other hand propping up his head as he avoided eye contact.

"Hey, I already can't believe we're having this conversation," Buford went back to his sandwich.

"Homecoming is next month," Baljeet informed, picking at his salad. "So do not leave us hanging. Spill… Who is it?"

At his friends' expectant looks, Phineas bit his lip. With all the torture and anxiety a teenager could muster, he sighed, glancing across the lunch room. He knew exactly where to look. Six tables to the right of the dessert bar where the former Fire Side troupe 46231 all sat together. And there she was, the center of the group, giggling and throwing French fries at Ginger as the rest of the girls laughed. Phineas felt as if his face were melting just at the sight of the adorable crinkle in her nose as she laughed. Had that always been there? "Isabella looks really pretty today, don't you think?" he mused, answering the group's question.

He was instantly aware of how incredibly silent his own lunch table had gotten. Peeling his eyes away from the girl across the room, Phineas found himself the subject of the most uncomfortable stare down he'd ever known. And he was used to being stared at. You don't suggest making a giant ant farm without getting a few stares.

The boy wrung his hands nervously. Great… he knew in the back of his mind this wasn't going to work. Isabella was part of their core group, an important member of their team, one of their best friends since they were toddlers. Surely the table would forbid him from such frivolous emotion-

"Wow Ferb… you totally called it."

"Hey I was only two years off!"

"Do not throw a fit Buford, just pay up," Baljeet rolled his eyes as he and Buford pulled out their wallets in response to Ferb's outward stretched hand. Phineas raised a brow in confusion as he watched his brother palm the money. Baljeet couldn't help but snicker at the oblivious look their friend still wore. "Oh come on, Phineas…. You can not possibly be that unaware."

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm the right amount of unaware."

"For a genius, you sure are stupid," Buford said, finishing up his lunch.

"I'm stupid because I didn't know you had a secret bet with Ferb?" Phineas crossed his arms indignantly.

"No, you're stupid because the bet was made four years ago about when you'd wise up to Isabella's crush on you," the football player explained.

Phineas' eyes widened and his hands dropped into his lap. "…. Her what?"

The three other boys once again shared disbelieving looks. "Hold up, wait…. You did not know?" Baljeet blinked.

"She has a crush on _me_?" Phineas felt his heart leap up into his throat.

"If you did not know, then why are you suddenly interested?"

"I-I don't know!" Phineas tossed his arms up. "I-I just… and she… you see, this morning when- I don't know!"

"Does this void the parameters of the bet?" Buford eyed Ferb who folded his arms defiantly.

"How could you not KNOW?!" Baljeet didn't know if he wanted to laugh or strangle the young inventor.

"I thought we were just best frie—wait… four YEARS?!" Phineas paled.

"All of this is being added to my stand up routine," Buford snickered.

"Actually, I think she may have started liking you a few years before that even," Baljeet hummed, watching the realization sink in for the red head.

"B-but we were like 10!" Phineas stuttered.

"Girls mature at a younger age," Ferb piped in.

"You knew about this?! And you didn't tell me?!' Phineas casted a scorned look at his brother.

"It wasn't my place to reveal her affections," Ferb defended himself. "And besides, she asked me not to."

"Oh my god…" Phineas groaned, his forehead hitting the table, overcome completely by embarrassment.

"What's the big deal?" Buford shrugged. "She likes you. You like her. Go on over there and make shit happen."

"So eloquently put, Buford," Baljeet rolled his eyes.

"I can't do that!" Phineas sat up straight. "She's liked me for years and I'm just finding out now?! What if she's given up?!"

"Last Tuesday she asked if you wanted to go see a movie together and you invited everyone," Ferb pointed out.

"Two Sunday's ago when you built that high powered telescope, she suggested star gazing…. And you again invited everyone," Buford raised an eyebrow.

"I have gone out for coffee with the two of you every Thursday for a month now just because I was standing at the locker when she asked you," Baljeet folded his arms. "You call it 'our thing'…"

Phineas winced, his forehead once again finding the table top.

Ferb rubbed his brother's back between his shoulder blades, quickly seeing how stressed he was getting over this. "Why don't you start small?" he offered gently.

Phineas looked up at him with hesitation, but once again found his gaze drifting across the room just in time to see a lock of raven colored hair fall in front of Isabella's eyes. He slowly smiled again. Phineas Flynn never did anything small. But there was a first time for everything.  
-

Isabella was having the best morning in the history of mornings. Her finger tips touched the velvet petals of the red rose lying across her text book. The simple gesture would have been nice from any admirer. But it wasn't from just _any_ admirer.

She glanced over her shoulder at the boy sitting behind her in home room. Phineas smiled at her, a goofy look across his maw with his chin in his hands. Isbaella blushed intensely.

It was happening. It was finally happening. 


	2. Worth Fighting For

**_AN: Stepping back in time a bit for this one. Perry, Phineas and Ferb centered!_**

**_Worth Fighting For_**

Agent Perry the Platypus pulled himself up into his computer chair just as his superior flickered onto the large monitor. The monotreme was finding it hard to be his normal enthusiastic self that morning. He forewent one of the tube slide entrances, opting instead for the short staircase from the garage tool box passage. Major Monogram had already begun debriefing him on his mission and Perry was only half listening. His mind was elsewhere and said mission was sounding less and less important than his other thoughts.

Perry was only a second year agent, but two years was a long time for an animal. Already he was top of his class and sector, light years ahead of the other recruits that started the same time he had. He was even next in line for his very own personal nemesis. But today's mission was sentry duty at the down town Danville head quarters. That was what his talents were being put towards? Sentry duty? Didn't they have an entire sector of meerkats for that? He couldn't be bothered with such low class duties when-

The distracted platypus blinked out of his thoughts when the major cleared his throat. Perry tensed at Monogram's narrowed gaze. Apparently he hadn't been hiding his contemplative look as well as he thought he had.

"Somewhere you would rather be, Agent?" the man asked disapprovingly.

Perry swallowed thickly. Well… it wasn't like that wasn't true. The platypus sighed, looking away apologetically before sitting up straight to signal he was paying attention.

"Agent P, must I remind you the importance of proper behavior during debriefings so that-"

_Oh great, a lecture._ That was the last thing he needed. Perry winced and shook his bill, his paw reaching for the computer mouse. Fine… he would be truthful.

Major Monogram halted his lecture as the agent before him split the screen into two, bringing up his desktop and opening up an e-mail draft. Perry dragged a file from the desktop to the open e-mail.

"Carl, what is he doing?" the major's mustache bristled, very done with the disrespect he assumed he was receiving.

"Sending an e-mail, sir," the intern's voice responded off screen. "I'll print it off for you. Looks like a doctor's note."

"I don't recall him visiting the onsite vet recently," the major said as Carl walked on screen with the printed paper.

"Not for him, for one of the Flynn-Fletcher family members. It's a hospital discharge notice," the curly haired boy frowned sympathetically towards the agent as he handed over the notice. "Aww Agent P, is one of your boys sick?"

Perry warbled softly, wringing his paws and nodding. He looked to the major as the man read over the notice with an unreadable expression.

He knew it was no excuse to be distracted from his work. Perry himself wasn't ill. His host family was just supposed to be his cover. A place to sleep at night. A set of humans to set out a food bowl and provide a believable secret identity as a mindless pet.

But within the two years the platypus had lived with the Flynn-Fletchers… they had become so much more than that.

Perry assumed he'd receive a talking to for this behavior. For getting 'too attached'. For letting his feelings interfere with his primary objective.

He braced himself for the verbal beating as Monogram cleared his throat again and handed the notice back to his intern. "Assign Agent R to sentry duty, Carl."

Perry blinked in confusion.

Major Monogram avoided contact with his agent as he spoke. "We'll expect you back on duty this Wednesday, Agent P. No distractions."

Perry frowned. Was he being punished?

At the agent's frown, the major coughed awkwardly. But this time his eyes met the concerned brown ones on the other side of the screen. And though his stance was as stoic and firm as ever, there was a slight softness to his tone. "Monty had asthma growing up," the man said as if it were explanation enough.

And it was. Perry smiled fondly at his superior, sitting up and saluting him before hopping down off his chair.

The agent tucked his hat away as he bolted to the nearest secret entrance into his owners' house. So excited was he to get back into the house that Perry hadn't even realized he was rushing up the stairs on all fours.

The entrance brought him underneath the living room couch, his bill poking out to get an idea where each family member was. A pair of women's yellow sneakers came into view followed quickly by a pair of child's sized ones, complete with Velcro buckles.

"Can I go upstairs now, Mom?"

"Your brother needs to sleep, Phineas."

"He's been sleepin' since we got home. I thought you said the doctor made him better?"

Perry squeezed out from under the couch to trot after the mother and son into the kitchen. Linda was putting dinner together while her seven year old got in the way.

"Ferb will be just fine, sweetie, but the medicine still needs time to work," she gently moved her son aside so she could get into the refrigerator. "He'll need to stay in bed till at least the end of the week."

Phineas was not okay with that answer, sighing and looking downward at the tiled floor. A familiar chatter beside him revealed the family pet nuzzling against his shin. The boy reached down to pluck the platypus off the floor. Perry was more half his size now that he was full grown, but that didn't stop the two youngest members of the family from carrying him around like he was still a pup. Unlike most animals, he didn't mind being held and carried. The boys were gentle and never ran with him or dropped him.

"But Perry wants to see him," Phineas held the pet close to his chest.

Linda looked down at her youngest. This was a common thing for her two boys. 'Perry' often wanted a lot of things. Juice boxes that weren't sugar free. Oreos. An extra hour before bed time. Phineas and Ferb were always very quick to inform their parents of their exotic pet's specific needs and wants. They couldn't be blamed if sometimes those things just coincidentally were also the needs and wants of little boys.

Linda couldn't deny the adorableness of the ploy though. The way she often had to talk to them through their pet could sometimes be annoying, what with it blankly staring at her, but regardless… still adorable. She sighed, looking past the wall-eyed platypus to a desperate Phineas. She glanced at the clock.

"… If he's sleeping, you come right back downstairs, okay?" Linda waited for her son's nod before waving him off. Although the last thing she needed was two sick children, it was incredibly hard to keep the two of them apart. No mountain, no vast sea, no mild case of pneumonia would come between Phineas and Ferb.

But you would never see Linda complain about the unbreakable friendship her sons had.

Phineas smiled widely and carried Perry up to the bedroom he shared with his step brother. "Ferb's gotta real bad cough, Perry, so we gotta take care of him," the boy informed his pet on the way.

Perry chattered a response as he was set down on the carpet outside the door. He waited impatiently, his bill nudging through the small crack once Phineas turned the knob, pushing it open the rest of the way. The little boy attempted to make a grab for his pet, whispering for him to wait so he could make sure his brother wasn't asleep per his mother's instructions, but Perry was a platypus on a mission.

He'd been a mess of nerves when the green haired child hadn't stopped coughing for hours during the night, keeping up a concerned Phineas and Perry. What they thought had just been a cold had lingered much too long and had gotten much too bothersome for his parents' liking. At around two am, with no rest and no end in sight to the coughing fit, Ferb was bundled up and brought to the emergency room.

The entire family had gone and Perry had been left sitting at the front door with a pathetic and hopeless expression as he listened to the family's car pull out of the driveway.

He wouldn't deny that his worry may have caused him to… misuse O.W.C.A technology and hack into the main frame of North Danville Hospital. It was only a _little_ completely against company policy.

All night Perry had monitored Ferb's file and at six am, the family's station wagon pulled back up the drive. Lawrence carried in a fast asleep Ferb with his face mashed against his father's shoulder. The child looked exhausted, but a few breathing treatments had opened up his lungs and silenced the cough for now.

The children were put back to bed, school and work days were canceled, and Perry and Phineas found themselves on the pull out couch in the living room.

This would be the first time the platypus had seen the boy since he'd been shooed off Ferb's bed in the middle of the night by a worried Linda. Perry would not allow this to happen again.

Despite Phineas' harsh whispers for him to come back, Perry leapt up onto the purple comforter and crawled towards the lump in the middle. Without a second thought, he curled up behind Ferb, resting his bill on the child's hip. It wasn't until a little hand slowly made its way out from under the covers to rest atop his head that Perry relaxed some.

Ferb shifted onto his back, prompting his pet to cuddle up closer to him and for Phineas to come the rest of the way into the room.

"Been sleepin' all day, pal!" the red head smiled, crawling up onto the foot of his brother's bed.

"What time is it?" Ferb croaked out, rubbing his crusted eyes with his fist, his other arm wrapped around a purring Perry.

"Almost dinner time. We got to stay home from school today. Candace too," Phineas explained, examining his brother. He didn't look any better than he had last night, minus the relentless cough.

"My chest hurts," Ferb tried to clear the tickle in his throat.

"I hope they gave you the right medicine. The doctor said you have puh-moan-ya," Phineas explained, helping Ferb sit up and prop pillows behind him. "But that tube thingy they gave you to breathe from worked huh? You stopped coughing after that."

Ferb nodded, remembering bits and pieces of the night before. The nebulizer treatments had worked, but the constant cough had done a number on his diaphragm muscles. His focus was now on the monotreme in his lap, stroking the soft turquoise fur and drinking in the calming effect it had. He had wished his pet had been at the hospital with him for that reason alone. Luckily his brother had been allowed to be there and Phineas' hyper chatter had the same calming effect on Ferb.

"Mom said you're gonna miss school all week. But I still have to go," Phineas sighed. "Don't worry though, I'll bring home your work sheets and tell you the answers."

Ferb smiled at that, thankful for his brother's loyalty.

Perry listened to the two chat, comforted that Ferb wasn't so sick that he couldn't enjoy time with his best friend and brother. That was enough to assure him everything would be alright. But until the two were back in the yard, playing and imagining big adventures without a care in the world, he would stay with his boys.

_His_ boys.

Even Carl had put it that way. Phineas and Ferb were not his owners. They were _his boys._

Perry hadn't even wanted a host family.

Only a few weeks out of the egg and the platypup lived and breathed his secret agent training. When he was told he would start the adoption process he scoffed at the notion. He didn't need the burden of that. It would take away from his time as an agent, fighting evil, being awesome.

But it had done the exact opposite of what he had initially thought.

It had made his job more important.

It gave him someone to fight for.


	3. Teenagers

**_Teenagers_**

Phineas was using every ounce of his will not to release the moan creeping up his throat. But the things his girlfriend's tongue could do were making that increasingly difficult with every passing second. And with his mother downstairs doing the dishes, any noise was not a risk he wanted to take.

It was becoming a game to Isabella though. Smirking between kisses as the sixteen year old boy fidgeted and tensed beneath her. He was like a child expecting to get caught sneaking cookies before dinner, but really… really wanting those cookies.

"Ah-h," Phineas' lips finally broke contact with hers as his hand gently grasped her wrist, stopping her from slipping her roaming finger tips under his t-shirt. "Izzie… c'mon, not here."

Isabella looked none too contrite about her move, simply shrugging as she sat back, straddled across his lap as he lay beneath her on the S.S. Phineas. "The door's closed," she hummed sweetly, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. She was used to the prudent tendencies of her beau. And for the first year and a half of their relationship, she was very respectful of Phineas' wishes to take things slow.

But Isabella Garcia-Shapiro had waited long enough to have Phineas Flynn in compromising positions.

And Phineas had eventually picked up on that, thankfully much sooner than he had concerning her crush on him. It wasn't like he hadn't wanted to partake in certain… activities. But Phineas was a gentleman and a scholar first and gentlemen and scholars court their women. They do not resort to back seats and under bleachers. Just because they were teenagers didn't mean they had to act like them. He had instead used a revamp of the Flying Car of the Future Today to take them to Paris for the weekend… and make up for the last time they were in Paris.

Isabella had, of course, loved it. And their first time had been everything she wanted it to be. No matter how much her awkward, intimidated boyfriend shivered like her pet Chihuahua.

But even with that night being months ago, Phineas was still getting used to this aspect of romance. Roses, candle lit dinners, personally written songs and poems? Those were second nature to him. But he was lost and confused under the bed sheets.

Luckily… Isabella was more than happy to take the reins.

"Yeah b-but…" Phineas' lids lowered, watching his girlfriend run her fingers through the ebony strands that cascaded down her back, a move that always made his heart thunder.

"We'll be quick," her nose wrinkled and she smirked. Once she got him started she knew he'd throw caution to the wind. Her hand cupped the bulge against his jeans, expertly making the teen boy tremble. "I prooooomise…" she cooed.

Phineas bit his lower lip and whimpered, his eyes moving from his bedroom door to the Jewish Latina beauty that currently topped him. And like always recently… hormones were beating morals by a landslide. "It's locked, right?" he whined, reaching for her.

Isabella knew she'd already won, gingerly working the button and zipper of his pants. "Uh huh," she grinned, returning for a deep kiss as she felt his hands move back to her waist.

He should know better by now. If he looked into them deep enough, those beautiful almond eyes of hers could convince him he could fly.

He allowed his thumbs to graze the skin peeking out from her blouse as their movement shifted the fabric up higher. It was all the invitation the young man needed to slide the rest of his hand up towards two of his favorite distractions.

It wasn't the bedroom door that Phineas should have been worried about being locked.

Agent Perry the Platypus was hanging up his fedora for the day. A long battle and an inbox full of paperwork had made sure he was good and tired. He wanted a warm bowl of shrimp and tuna and to curl up on the warm fleece blanket kept at the foot of his owner's bed.

His webbed feet padded softly up the set of stairs that lead from his lair to one of his secret entrances. Automatic sensors slid open the small door when he reached the top, revealing the cool blues of his boys' bedroom from under Ferb's computer desk.

Perry froze once his webbed foot stepped down onto the carpet, a periwinkle purple brassiere having landed on the very tip of his bill. The agent knew for a fact that this particular article of clothing belonged to neither of the regular occupants of this room.

Brown eyes shrunk and turquoise fur stood on end at the soft muffled sounds coming from the bed not more than a few feet away.

Curse the powers that be for not forever keeping his owners as blissfully unaware children who lived in a strict world of cooties. And curse their parents for being so trustworthy that closed doors were not a trigger warning of something more sinister than 'studying'.

Ever so slowly… the platypus plucked the garment from his beak, letting it drop to the floor as he backed up towards his secret entrance. Terror ripped through the animal when his paw touched the closed door that should have opened when it sensed his presence. A door that had, on a few occasions, a tendency to jam shut.

No…no no no, not now. Not at this moment. Why him? Why, for the love of all that was good in his double life, did this have to happen?!

Perry pressed his back desperately against the door, gritting his teeth with a scarred expression as the sight of Phineas' bare back was burned into his brain for all of eternity. He tore his eyes away as the thoroughly distracted teen dipped back down out of his view. One glance at the bedroom door told him it was locked. He was trapped. Trapped with the sounds of hormone driven young adults and a horror movie of flailing limbs just above him on top of one of his favorite places to nap.

What happened to the angelic pair of boys that used their powers for good?! That sat beneath an elm tree and contemplated what they would do that day?! When had his perfect boys turned into the monsters before him?!

In any other circumstance, Perry would have considered these thoughts harsh and over dramatic. But… but that was HIS bed too!

The monotreme thought he might soon be sick. That the sounds he was hearing were making his stomach turn enough that he might-

Perry fell back suddenly as the secret entrance slid open again, the sensors righting themselves and detecting the body in front of it. The platypus lay on his back, safely shut inside his lair… but with full understanding of what was going on behind the door.

It took him a few long moments to shakily get to his feet and unblinkingly walk back down the stairs to find a different entrance into the Flynn-Fletcher household. He resembled more of a zombie than a platypus as he stepped through the grating of a ventilation shaft that led into the hallway.

Having lost his appetite completely, Perry used his beak to bury under the blanket of his little basket bed in the living room. He turned around twice before settling down to just stare off at nothing, even more blankly than he normally did in pet mode, mourning the loss of his sacred space. Nothing was sacred anymore.

Not more than fifteen minutes later Linda called up the stairs, asking her son if his girlfriend was staying for dinner. A few moments passed before the two came thundering down the steps requesting pizza as innocently as they had when they were younger.

But Perry knew better. The days of their adorable innocent kid nature were over, leaving him with the knowledge that they were now horrible, disgusting, mutant beings known as… teenagers. He would forever rue the day.

"Hey boy!" Phineas hopped off the last step, ruffling the top of Perry's head as he passed him, Isabella petting down the fur of his back as well. Perry could do little more than cringe at their touch and scream internally.

He watched the two walk away towards the kitchen, Isabella's hand finding its way to playfully pinch Phineas' rump, making the red head flinch and then blush profusely at her grin. The two disappeared into the kitchen where Linda was none the wiser as she called for takeout.

Now uncomfortably wide awake with a look of horror etched onto his features, Perry decided the next month or two would be spent sleeping at the end of Ferb's bed.


	4. For Them

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, this one is longer to make up for it ^^ my take on Perry's first week home!**

**For Them**

Bartholomew the Platypup crossed his arms and glared moodily at the wall of the box he had been stuffed into. The agent in training was not at all happy about the circumstances that lead to him being put in said box. He'd put in several requests to go straight to field training. He was passing all his tests with flying colors, the best and brightest trainee in his group. He'd received his fedora a week early! He thought for sure that would bump him up to the top of the list and get him the position he craved.

But here he was. In a box. In a station wagon. With loud excited children begging their parents to let them hold their new pet.

_Pet._

Never had he been so insulted by a word.

Well okay, he was only eight weeks old. He hadn't had many words to be insulted by yet. But still. In those eight weeks he had learned a lot. And he knew for sure he didn't want to waste his potential with some pointless host family. He had talent! He had drive! Even Major Monograme himself had given the young platypus mountains of positive feedback and high marks. So why wasn't he going straight to the field? There were plenty of agents that didn't have host families.

Maybe he wasn't the stellar trainee he thought he was. He had a few clumsy moments here and there. But he was only eleven inches tall. It was hard to make some of those jumps on the training course. Platypi weren't built like rabbits and he was still developing those muscles.

And maybe sometimes he wasn't always looking where he was going. Or misjudged a trajectory. The platypup frowned, counting off all the mistakes he'd ever made in his short life and coming to the irrational decision that he was being punished for only _just_ beating top records in the O.W.C.A obstacle course.

But a punishment so harsh he was being carted off with a bunch of strangers?

And who _were_ these people? What kind of background check had been done on them? How could he trust them? He had given the intern that put him in the box such a venomous glare of betrayal.

"You okay in there, Bartholomew?"

The animal looked up when the top of the box was opened, curious blue eyes peering down at him through a shock of uncombed red hair. He stared back up at the child with a blank look just as he had been taught. Not that it was very hard to pull off given his current mood.

The child's smile was impossibly wide and had been since selecting the monotreme from the rest of the animals at the O.W.C.A Adoption Agency. The agent in training thought for sure he would be looked over, and had been counting on that. After all, who adopts a platypus?

_This_ family, was apparently the answer. The animal tensed slightly as a little hand reached inside the box and stroked down his back. Another set of eyes peered through green bangs, peeking over the edge of the cardboard to watch him as well.

"Mom! They opened the box!"

"Phineas. Ferb. I don't want him jumping around the car," the mother warned. "And Candace, no shouting."

"He's not jumpin', he's jus' sittin' there," the child petting the animal assured his parents. "He's a good boy, ain'tcha Bartholomew?" Another hand from the second child joined his brother's on the platypus' back.

The animal chattered a response, glaring at the wall of the box. Now he was _being_ pet. Stupid word. He had never really been pet before. Most of his time was spent with other animals. The humans he did have contact with were merely there to give him orders and train him. Being touched in such a way felt unnatural and weird. It made him uncomfortable.

The ride home wasn't too long, but felt like forever to Bartholomew. While the children were helped out of their car seats by the oldest and their mother, the platypup was scooped out of the box by the taller man who had been driving. From the man's arms he was given a good look at his new dwelling as he was carried across the lawn. The house was nothing special. Just a normal looking suburban domicile. Perfect for his cover. He was set down once they entered the house and almost immediately flanked by the two little boys who wanted to pet him again.

But the platypus was much too over stimulated and in a bad mood. The boys barely got a single stroke in before their new pet dashed under the couch.

"Come back out, Bartholomew!" the little red head cooed as he crouched down to look under the furniture, Ferb following his lead.

"Boys, how about we let the little guy get used to the house hmm?" Their father attempted to lead the children away from the couch. "We can go find a few articles on the computer and learn more about the platypus."

The two little boys looked skeptical, but followed obediently. Even though they would rather be playing with their new pet, they were also interested in knowing about his care. "But why's Bartholomew under the couch?" the red headed five year old asked, holding his father's hand.

The oldest girl plopped onto the lazy boy chair with a pre-teen magazine she'd plucked off the coffee table. "He's hiding from how bad his name is."

"Candace," her mother gave a disapproving scowl.

The animal under the couch ruffled his fur a bit. He had to agree. Just like everything else about this situation, he was not fond of his new moniker. He settled down, belly and bill against the carpet as he watched the humans' shoes pass by his vantage point. It would be awhile until he'd have his own lair to retreat to. O.W.C.A would have to build it under the house and add passages so he could slip in and out of it undetected. And they had to do all of that without the family knowing. It was going to be at least a few months. In which time he was supposed to be 'acclimating' to his new 'habitat' as per the instructions from the Major.

Until then… the platypup would have to make do with 'under the couch' as his sanctuary from the grabby hands of children. It would be a safe place to wait for his superior to contact him. He was sure it would be soon.

Bartholomew stayed there for another hour, listening to the family move around the house and talk. He'd gathered that the two adults were Lawrence and Linda. The oldest daughter was Candace. And his two main care givers were Phineas and Ferb. Which made no sense to him, how could the youngest be trusted to care properly for an exotic pet? Surely if he told the agency that this family wasn't capable of housing an agent, they would relocate him. Or come to their senses and drop this whole 'host family' nonsense.

But at least it seemed that Lawrence was doing his best to educate the two youngsters. They had printed off several care and fact guides with lots of pictures. Phineas and Ferb were sitting on the living room floor surrounded by papers, shouting out interesting facts to their parents. Linda was helping them make a list of things they would need for their new pet.

Bartholomew hated to admit it… but he was a little impressed. These boys couldn't be more than kindergarten age and yet they were clearly reading at an above average level. And comprehending it at that. Well if he was going to _have_ to have owners, at least they were above average owners.

Phineas was putting the final touches on the shopping list with his mother while Ferb had scooted over to the couch. The green haired boy just rested his chin on his hands and stared back at the monotreme who refused to come out. Bartholomew backed up against the wall more, his eyes never leaving the quiet little boy, expecting the child to reach out to him. But Ferb's hands stayed tucked under his chin, just watching the animal. He tilted his head and clicked softly, trying to imitate the chitter he'd heard from the platypus earlier. After a few long moments of soft sounds and eye contact, the platypup stopped tensing up, assured the child wasn't going to grab at him.

"Do you think he really doesn't like his name, Mom?" Phineas asked, watching his brother click softly to their pet to try and coax him out. He was worried his sister was right. He would hate to have given his pet a name he wasn't fond of. He'd have that name forever after all.

Linda chuckled. "He's just a little scared, dear. This is a new place for him. It may take awhile till he warms up to us. You have to be patient and let him come to you," she explained to her children as Ferb got up from his spot and came over to her as well. "So let's be nice and quiet around Bartholomew, okay?"

Phineas and Ferb shared contemplative looks before glancing back at the couch and nodding. "Why don't we go to the store and get all these items?" Lawrence offered, getting the car keys.

The boys agreed and hurried out the front door after their father. Candace retreated to her room and Linda went to start dinner, leaving the house quiet.

Bartholomew poked his head out from under the couch, feeling safe enough that he wouldn't be pounced upon. He wanted to do a little more recon work, padding down the halls to get the layout of the house. It was a nice house even If it was dull and boring compared to the exciting atmosphere of O.W.C.A headquarters. He glanced up at pictures that adorned the wall, poked his bill around shelves and in purses and book bags. His paw moved around bills and letters on the ground by the mail slot, finding the name Flynn-Fletcher. A joined family would answer a few of his questions about who looked more related.

The young agent in training hopped up the steps one stair at a time to get to the second level. He mentally logged away good spots for secret entrances as he passed them. His bill nudged open doors, glancing into bedrooms. He backed out of the obnoxiously pink one complete with blaring bubblegum pop music. He definitely wouldn't be spending time in that one if he could help it.

The room across the hall was much more intriguing, bathed in calming blues. Bartholomew could tell right away it belonged to the youngest members of the family. He trotted around, examining the toys and sniffing at the bed comforters. It was kept relatively clean despite belonging to two young boys. Much cleaner than the pink room. It had the distinct smell of metal and apple juice. The animal thought that was an odd combination, but didn't over think it.

Leaving the room, he headed back downstairs. His little claws at the tips of his webbed feet clicked on the tile of the kitchen floor as he cautiously looked around. Linda glanced down from mixing mashed potatoes, smiling at the creature that made eye contact with her. He stared a moment before darting under the kitchen table. Though not taking his eyes off the woman as he did so had him running into the table leg first.

Linda chuckled in amusement at the little platypup, convinced it looked embarrassed by its own clumsiness. She had not expected to come home with a monotreme. The Flynn's had a dog for years that had passed away last year and she assumed they'd be bringing home a new puppy. But her husband was quick to agree with whatever his sons wanted. Lawrence was a pleaser. Linda was just worried a platypus might not be the cuddliest of pets and her youngest son was a hugger.

She turned down the heat on the stove and crouched a few feet from the table, kissing softly to the animal staring at her from its hunched position under a chair. Bartholomew wasn't intimidated; he knew she was no threat. But he made no move to go over to her.

The platypus raised his head as he heard the sound of car doors closing. Moments later Phineas and Ferb rushed into the house with shopping bags, their father behind him holding a wicker basket pet bed also filled with items.

"We got Perry so much stuff, Mom!" Phineas jabbered excitedly as he set the bags down on the kitchen floor.

"Perry?" Linda raised a brow up at her husband.

Lawrence shrugged. "His name is Perry now."

"This poor animal's name better not change several more times by the end of the night," Linda scolded, standing back up and going over to the stove.

"I hope not, we already got it printed on his bowl," Phineas commented as Ferb pulled the food and water dish out from the bag to set up in the corner of the kitchen.

"_Food_ better have been on that list and not just a bunch of personally monogrammed toys," Linda gave her husband a wary look. "Because I don't know what it eats."

But Lawrence grinned and pulled out a bag of dehydrated platypus chow and several cans of cat food; shrimp and tuna flavored. "Mostly insects," he commented, putting the items away.

"Hi Perry!" Phineas crawled under the table beside his pet, reaching out to stroke him again. The platypus chattered as it flattened itself against the kitchen floor, resigned to being pet. At least the boy's touch was much softer than his voice. Soon enough Ferb was under the table as well, joining in the forced affection. "I think that means he likes his new name," the red head beamed brightly.

Bartho- Perry curled his tail around himself. Well… it was a more tolerable name, that was for sure.

"Boys, what did I say about letting Perry come to you?" Linda looked over at both her children sitting under the kitchen table. The last thing she needed was one of them getting bit.

Phineas and Ferb reluctantly crawled out. "Ferb, show mom the collar we got him!"

The green haired boy produced the leather dog collar with the duck foot charm from his pocket, enthusiastically holding it up to her. Linda reached down to accept the item, looking it over. "Oh how cute, it's a locket," she examined it.

"It's a what?" Phineas hurried over, unaware of this fact. They had simply picked it out to match their pet's semi-aquatic theme. Linda leaned down to show the boys how to open the charm.

"See? We can put your pictures in there later."

"Oh cool!" Phineas turned back to the table. "Look Perry, we can— Perry?"

Once again the pet had dashed out of the kitchen and back to the safety of under the couch. Phineas frowned and looked at his brother who shared his dejected look.

"Remember boys," Lawrence put his hands on their shoulders. "It may take him some time to get used to us." Phineas and Ferb nodded in understanding, but it was clear it wasn't going to be easy to respect the monotreme's space. They had been begging their parents for a new pet for months. Now they had one and they couldn't even hold it.

Perry spent dinner under the couch. Even after the boys filled his food bowl with the tempting chow he refused to leave his spot. He currently had his back to Phineas and Ferb who lay on their stomachs beside the piece furniture and just watched their motionless pet. Perry frowned at the wall, listening to the children chat quietly to one another, trying to come up with different ways they could make their pet more comfortable. They were persistent, he would give them that.

He didn't come out to eat until after the entire family had gone to bed. And even then he went back under the couch and stared listlessly at the beam of moonlight that shined through the living room window and onto the carpet. Perry sighed. Why hadn't the major contacted him yet? Why hadn't anyone from the organization contacted him yet? He felt betrayed. The worry of his position within the agency crept back into his thoughts.

He quickly found himself missing his bunk back in sector P of the Australian wing at the O.W.C.A. He missed the sounds of dozens of sleeping animals. He missed the chatter of the nocturnal agents that ran the night shift. This house was too quiet. He missed gathering in the rec-rooms where the older senior agents who would tell the new trainees stories about their adventures and missions. Stories that inspired him to be a top agent and filled his dreams with action packed visions of his future. He wanted to be able to tell amazing stories one day.

But Perry didn't feel amazing. Some agent he was… hiding under a couch and feeling homesick. He pulled out his fedora, kneading his little front paws into the brim. He nuzzled his bill against the hat and breathed in the comforting familiar smells trapped in the fabric. It helped him settle, but sleep still evaded the platypup that night.

The next day, Perry's bleary eyes watched the family move around the house in the early hours. Phineas and Ferb had come to bid him good morning immediately after they woke up. He merely stared back at the two sets of eyes and smiles that greeted him warmly as they hung upside down off the edge of the couch. Oh goodie, his owners were _morning people._

The children eventually left to get their day started, but Perry stayed where he was.

For the entire day.

And the rest of the week.

Perry only left his sanctuary at night to eat and use the litter box that had been set out for him. Otherwise he confined himself to under the couch, away from the Flynn-Fletcher brood where he stewed in his stubborn thoughts, waiting to be contacted by the O.W.C.A… who were taking their sweet time. He wondered if he'd been abandoned by the agency. Alone with nothing but his thoughts had the agent-to-be second guessing everything.

But the refuge the platypup had chosen wasn't completely secluded. Unwittingly, Perry had selected the direct center hub of the household to isolate himself. It had given him the perfect, albeit unwanted, way of learning about the people he now lived with.

During the morning, the platypup would lounge lazily on his side and watch the two boys sit in front of the TV and play video games or watch cartoons as they ate their breakfast.

In the early afternoon when the boys were playing outside he would listen to Candace's long phone conversations.

Around noon, several of the neighborhood children were often over and Linda would make snacks. After which they would go back out to play and sometimes the other parents and Linda would play cards or chat in the kitchen.

Even if he hadn't meant to and wouldn't admit it to himself, Perry was slowly starting to find comfort in the routine he was doing his best to avoid. He found it easier to nap when Phineas was around, his constant chatter reminding him of the parrots back in sector P. He was no longer unnerved when he found Ferb peeking at him. He even lifted his head a few times to see if the boy had brought him another sugar cookie that he would set in front of his bill just within his reach to snatch without having to be touched. Perry even found himself somewhat interested in Candance's mindless gossip, following the conversation as one would follow a daytime soap opera.

But there was one time of the day that Perry scooted himself closer to the edge of under the couch.

He would wake up from his early evening nap to the strum of a classical guitar, Lawrence sitting on the couch with all three children for a music lesson.

Perry would tuck his bill under his tail comfortably and listen. Though young and still in need of the fine tuning that came with age and experience, the platypus could admit that Phineas and Candance were actually rather talented singers. And besides the odd wrong note or long pause to figure out the fingering, Ferb had an impressive handle on the instrument. Each night brought new songs and new instruments. Perry was actually a bit dismayed when the lessons were over.

But as they days passed, Perry was growing wary and restless. He'd all but given up hope that his superiors would be contacting him. Perhaps he'd just wither away and die under this forsaken couch.

"Mom, is Perry ever going to come out?" Phineas asked from his spot on the carpet where he and Ferb parked themselves each evening to say goodnight to their antisocial pet. Despite the platypup's refusal to interact with them, the boys never forgot about him. Even after a week of being ignored, several times a day they would sit on the floor and check on the animal. Empty food bowls told them he was at least eating.

Perry was surprised they didn't drag him out from under the couch or yank on his paws and tail to get him to comply. The boys would just sit and watch him. And other than Ferb sneaking him treats, their hands and arms stayed out from under the couch. _Very un-child-like_, Perry mused. Even hyper-active Phineas, who always had to be talking or doing something, was mindful of the animal's space.

"I don't know honey," Linda reached down to lift up Ferb who held his arms up to the woman. Perry had observed that though Ferb was very quiet, he wasn't exactly independent. He liked to be holding his parents' hands and stuck very close to his step brother, whom he was content to let dictate how they spent their days. "I don't know much about the platypus. I guess they just don't do much."

"Do you think Perry even likes us?" the red head asked as he took his mother's free hand and she led them upstairs. There was obvious hurt in the boy's voice.

Perry frowned at the bluntness of the little boy's statement. By all accounts… it was true. He'd given these people no reason to think otherwise. He was supposed to be 'acclimating'.

He didn't feel acclimated. He had the attention of a family he didn't want, but was being ignored by an organization he craved acceptance from. It was making Perry start to feel bad about avoiding his owners. After all, he was doing the same thing to them that O.W.C.A was doing to him.

A sudden beep startled the animal and he hurriedly pushed aside the fur on his wrist to reveal his agent issued communicator. INCOMING MESSAGE flashed across the little screen.

_Finally!_ The animal sagged in complete and utter relief. He hadn't been forgotten after all.

Perry grinned brightly in excitement as he poked his head out from under the couch to make sure none of his owners were around before ducking back under and focusing on his communicator. Major Monogram appeared moments later. "Good evening, Trainee. We apologize for the delay in contacting you, but we're sure you had your paws full with getting acquainted to your new family."

Perry tried not to narrow his eyes in annoyance.

"Anyhoo, we'll be sending over some paperwork for you in the next day or so to complete and include your initial reports so we can start work on your lair. Don't worry; a few free tickets to Disney World for your owners will assure we have time for construction. We have an in with the studio and park…"

Perry listened to the Major prattle on about a few more things before the man said the words he'd been waiting to hear ever since he'd started his training. "In the mean time, we have your first field training mission for you tonight. Agent C needs backup downtown with Professor Pantomime. Normally a trainee your age wouldn't aid an agent with a nemesis quiet yet, but Agent C's pulling a double and could use the help. Besides… you've proven you're ready for this."

Perry could burst at the seams with joy. Not only was he getting his first real mission, but it was a top level mission! He was getting a top level mission and he wasn't even a full-fledged agent yet! This wasn't just an escort or guard duty, this was real work out in the field with bad guys and everything! Not even waiting to hear the major tell him he would need to be careful and listen to the senior agent, the platypup darted out from under the couch, fitting his fedora on as he made a jump for the window sill.

And missed.

Perry growled slightly and jumped again, his finger tips just grabbing the edge so he could pull himself up. Curse his height. Carl the intern said he had another foot to go until he was full grown. He'd better hurry up; he was getting tired of having to jump twice to reach his target.

He was out the window in moments, looking back down at his com-link as he ran across the grass. Getting the coordinates he required, Perry made a b-line for the bus stop. He was right on time for the 9:30pm bus to Downtown Danville, hopping onto the bike rack on the back of the large vehicle. He couldn't wait till he had his own gadgets and jet packs. Till then though, he would be carpooling. He held on tight as his ride brought him to his destination, fantasizing the entire time about an action packed evening of daring-do.

Arriving at the docks, Perry scampered through the rows of wooden crates to find the rendezvous point where he would meet Agent C. The night sky was cloudy and the temperature was dipping, moisture in the air telling the platypup they could be in for some rain.

An orange tabby was perched on one of the loading pallets, gingerly washing her paw. When Perry approached her, she opened a green eye, honing in on the strange little animal's signature hat. She pulled out one of her own, delicately fixing the brim as she watched the platypup struggle to pull himself up beside her.

The feline's shoulders sloped in a silent sigh. _Great, now she was a babysitter. _This was going to end up being _more_ work than if she didn't have any back up at all. She stood up on her hind legs, paws on her hips as she stared down at the panting trainee. Perry swallowed thickly and stood at attention, saluting his superior and trying to slow his rapid heartbeat. He needed to make a good impression and Agent C already looked annoyed that her back up was a first timer. But she'd been up for almost 24 hours now and he assumed that would make any cat grumpy.

Inwardly, Agent C was amused. New agents were always so eager to please. Maybe she would at least get a bit of entertainment out of it.

Resigned to the fact that she would be playing teacher that night, Agent C motioned for the platypus to follow. Her tight glare told him he had better keep up. Perry wished desperately for longer legs as he put in twice the effort to keep pace with her agile leaps and bounds.

Inside the warehouse at the back, the two O.W.C.A members found their objective: Professor Pantomime unloading a shipment of stolen chemicals. The schematics that the agency had intercepted showed a weapon that would paralyze its victims. Word was that the evil mad man had a bone to settle with the Danville Theatre chorus line that rejected his choreographed number for a show back in '73.

Agent C kept her paw on Perry's chest, keeping him tucked back against the pillar they were both hiding behind as she assessed the situation. All they needed to do was destroy the shipment and render it useless for the Professor's plan. A simple job. A perfect first time experience for her little tag along.

Perry was itching to take on the bad guy, clenching his fists and teeth in excitement. He had caught a glimpse of the man, a tall lengthy human with long white hair. He was flanked by two prissy looking Borzoi hounds who looked like they went to the same hair dresser their owner did. He bounced lightly on his heels, waiting for Agent C's orders.

The tabby's tail swished as she decided the best approach was stealth. Looking back at her temporary platypus partner, she pointed to the hanging crates right above the target shipment and to the catwalk beside it. Agent C pressed a paw to her chest, indicating she would be taking the high road. She motioned to the far end where there was a pallet of stacked pier buoys. She raised a brow, hoping the trainee could handle creating a distraction by tipping over the buoys. Perry nodded, understanding his role and saluting her once again.

The two animals split up, Agent C bounding up the crates with ease as Perry stayed close to the perimeter. He was closing in on his target when a sharp bark made his fur stand on end. Peaking around a crate, Perry found that one of the Borzois had caught sight of Agent C a top one of the crates.

At first he thought she may have been in trouble, poising himself to rush in and help. But he stayed put when the cat showed no signs of distress. The platypup marveled at how Agent C was the picture of calm and collected, staring down at the barking dog with the most unimpressed look she could muster, her tail swishing casually behind her.

"Ah, Agent C! Long time no see. It's been what? 6 hours?" Professor Pantomime bantered as he stroked the head of his growling hound.

Agent C responded with a yawn, folding her arms and leaning against a crate.

Perry bit his lip with a grin. He hoped to achieve that level of snark one day, facing his own enemy without the slightest worry he could lose. He shook himself out of his moment of admiration to return to his task as the villain monologued to his nemesis. But turning back around towards the bouys, the platypup came nose to bill with the other Borzoi.

Oh yeah… there were two of them.

A powerful swipe from the dog's paw sent the agent in training into the side of a crate, sending pain rippling up Perry's spine. But he had no time to let the pain settle, scrambling to his feet to get out of the way when the canine came running at him. The dog was easily five times Perry's size and his paw to paw combat was still beginner level. Adrenaline rushed through the platypup's veins, hoping if he couldn't fight his foe, he could at least outrun it.

Professor Pantomime and Agent C were interrupted from their routine at the sound of snarling and squawking. The villain looked down in time to see a flash of turquoise as the platypup darted between his legs. Seconds later the dog came barreling through him as well, barking ferociously at his prey. Agent C slapped a paw to her forehead, but shrugged it off. A distraction was a distraction. Her foe was on the ground, the dogs were now chasing the trainee and she was free to continue her climb to the catwalk.

Perry's heart was thundering in his chest, running as fast as his four legs would carry him, inches away from the Borzoi's jaws. For such prissy looking dogs, they had gone from AKC show standards to hunting hound in no time flat. He took a sharp right, making the first dog slide past him and into some loading equipment. Perry looked pleased at his maneuver, but soon found that the other dog had joined its brother in the chase and was coming at him from the front. Perry hesitated a moment before rushing at the hound. The dog sped up, but misjudged how little his target was, allowing Perry to dart between the canine's long legs. His flat beaver-like tail slapped against the dog's haunches as he passed under it and tripping the animal up. Perry chanced a look over his shoulder, grinning at the dazed hounds.

But not looking where he was going had the platypup slamming right into Professor Pantomime's leg, knocking Perry onto his back. His vision cleared as a hand reached down and grabbed the loose skin at the back of his neck, lifting him high off the ground. The young agent froze, curling his paws up against his chest as he stared into the angry eyes of the villain.

"What the heck is this thing?" the professor hissed, finger nails digging into the animal's skin and fur, making Perry wince. The area was still tender from the hit he took from the dog. He kicked his back feet and chattered a growl that he had meant to sound intimidating, but came out a bit desperate. He grit his teeth at the sight of the dogs circling below him, upturned jowls revealing teeth that he was sure would have an even tighter grip than the hand currently holding him. "Whatever you are, you're soon to be Agent Dog Food."

A loud crash behind him made the professor turn around before he was about to drop the platypup down to the awaiting jaws of his pets. "NO!" the villain shouted in disbelief at the pile of splintered wood and broken glass, his precious chemicals pooling on the concrete under the wreckage and spilling towards one of the many drains around the warehouse.

Agent C vaulted off the catwalk where her claws had cut through the rope net holding up the crates that crushed the professor's shipment. Her back leg made contact with Pantomime's wrist, knocking Perry free from his grasp. The little trainee fell back, sliding across the concrete and rolling to a stop.

Perry blinked the dizziness away as he propped himself up on his elbow. The room stopped spinning in time for him to watch Agent C's perfect round house kick connect with one of the Borzois' snouts. She easily took out the second with an upper cut, landing gracefully on her back legs. The two hounds fell beside their owner who was nursing a possibly broken jaw from a well placed punch by the feline agent.

Her paw brushed back her whiskers and adjusted her fedora before reaching down to Perry to help him up.

Perry bit the lower part of his bill in embarrassment but accepted the offered paw. Agent C simply shrugged and pressed a button on her own com-link. Seconds later her hover craft crashed through the wall of the warehouse skidding to a stop beside them.

Perry limped after her, trying to cover up how sore he was as he jumped into the hover craft beside the cat. The job was done, but the platypup felt lower than dirt. His slip up could have jeopardized the entire mission. He wrung his paws together and avoided looking at the agent beside him as they flew through the night sky.

A soft mewl interrupted his thoughts of failure and Perry looked over at the tabby beside him in the driver's seat. To his surprise, Agent C was smirking. His brow furrowed in confusion, but she didn't look at him. Thunder in the distance made both agents look to the clouds. Sure enough flashes of light lit up the sky to the West. Agent C wrinkled her nose, the static in the air making her whiskers twitch. She flipped a switch on the dashboard and the hover craft's top closed them inside a thick glass cover to protect them from the preliminary drizzle.

It was pouring as the craft landed on Maple Drive. Perry was thankful the ride hadn't been long, not being able to stand the embarrassment much longer. He pulled his fedora off and tucked it away as he reached for the door handle. He paused when he felt a paw on his shoulder.

He looked beside him to see Agent C's grin had softened to a smile. She offered him a thumbs-up and patted his shoulder before he exited the craft. Perry couldn't imagine why she was being so nice, but he was thankful for the positive gesture. He didn't even want to think about what her debriefing to Major Monogram would include. Surely his incompetence would make the top of the list and effectively ruin the rest of his career at O.W.C.A.

The platypup managed a half wave to the ascending hovercraft before he trudged across the soaked lawn, letting his tail drag and the rain water slid of his water proof fur. Every muscle in his body hurt. He thought he trained hard, but the real deal was nothing like the classrooms and obstacle courses of the academy. By the time he pulled himself up through the window of the Flynn-Fletcher household, Perry was cold, wet, and sore in both body and pride.

After locking the window and hopping down from the sill, he lowered himself back to all fours and limped to the kitchen to find a hand towel to dry off. After doing so he made his way over to his food and water dish. Perry sat back on his haunches and stared down at his reflection in the fresh water that had been left for him. His stomach was in knots and even though he knew he should be starving, the thought of eating made him sick. He was still shivering slightly as he stared heartbrokenly at the water.

The feeling of failure was incredibly overwhelming for the young animal. He felt as lost and alone as he had earlier in the week when he assumed the agency had forgotten about him. His brown eyes glossed slightly. If he had no chance of being the secret agent he'd been raised from birth to be, what would become of him?

Perry tensed and his pupils shrunk when he felt a sudden, but soft touch between his shoulder blades.

The little platypup momentarily hunched over in fear before looking up to find Phineas leaning over him. In the entire week he had been there, Perry had never thought the red head could possibly manage to be quiet long enough to sneak up on him like that.

The little boy held an empty drinking glass in his other hand, giving Perry a clue as to why he was up in the middle of the night. Phineas smiled gently as he lowered himself to his knees to continue to pet the platypus that had yet to dart away from him like he expected him to do. "There you are, Perry…" he whispered softly.

Indeed the monotreme's first thought was to dash away, back under the couch. But his body didn't move. He stayed right there, staring back at the boy petting him, trembling every few moments from a mixture of the cold and the stressful night he had.

"You scared of the storm?" Phineas continued to whisper. "Ferb is too. I was gettin' him some water."

Perry just stared and listened to the boy, letting his soothing whispers break through his brain's harsh criticism of his actions that night. Anything to keep his own thoughts from tearing him apart.

"You don't gotta sleep under the couch if you're scared," Phineas set down the glass, but continued to pet the platypup. "You can come upstairs with us. I know Mom and Dad say we gotta let you come to us when you're ready. But it's all dusty under the couch and you can have my favorite pillow if you want."

Perry drank in the comforting words from the little boy he had avoided since he'd been adopted. Even after he had rejected his affections, Phineas was still invested in winning the animal over.

"I know havin' a new family's scary," Phineas reached forward to ease the little pup onto his lap, hoping the move wouldn't spook him. "I've been there, trust me. But we don't want you to be scared no more. We're nice, I promise."

Perry was surprised at himself for allowing the action. For staying put in the little boy's arms as Phineas propped him up against his shoulder. He was still tense and he was still shivering. But he didn't want to struggle anymore. He wanted the long stressful week to be over. He wanted to escape the terrible thoughts of failure. And against everything he had been feeling at the start of all this, being held by the boy at that moment felt… right.

"If you come upstairs, I can make sure both you 'n Ferb aren't scared of the storm, okay?" Phineas offered, getting to his feet and walking back to the stairs as he carried the platypup. The animal was letting him do so and he was taking full advantage of that fact.

Perry rested his bill on Phineas' shoulder, eyes drooping as he was carried. He was so drained and he was actually looking forward to the idea of not sleeping on the floor. A pillow sounded like heaven.

"Hey Ferb, Perry's scared of the thunder too," Phineas pushed open the door to their bedroom. The room was bathed in a soft orange glow from Ferb's side table lamp. The little green haired Brit had abandoned his own bed, sitting in the center of the S.S. Phineas with his comforter wrapped around him like a hoodie. Though he stayed quiet as usual, Ferb's eyes widened slightly at the sight of his brother carrying their illusive pet. He immediately scooted over as Phineas got up onto the bed beside him, gently placing the little platypup between them.

Perry looked between the two boys as they went about making a nest of pillows and blankets. Phineas was taking charge as he always did; making sure his fish tank light was on for his brother's comfort and leaving the room once more to get the glass of water he had forgotten.

Ferb hesitated a moment before reaching out to pet the platypup, amazed that he didn't run away this time. Perry stared tiredly up at the boy, sensing his unease and that his brother had indeed been telling the truth. Ferb was no fan of thunder storms. But a smile was creeping through the boy's fear as the monotreme allowed the petting.

Phineas returned, putting the water on the bedside table and making sure the shades were drawn to keep away the lightning flashes. He crawled back onto the bed and made sure the blanket was tucked around his step brother before lying down, facing Ferb with their pet sitting in the middle. Perry's expression softened at the sight of how attentive the red head was to his sibling's need. It was comforting to have such an empathetic presence near him.

So comforting in fact that Perry found himself lowering from a rigid, upright sit… to lying down against the soft sheets.

Phineas's smile joined his brother's as they both took turns petting down the animal's back, silently appreciating that their pet was starting to accept them. "Good boy, Perry," Phineas eventually praised in a quiet whisper.

"He's so soft," Ferb whispered as well, one of the few times the platypup heard the boy's accent all week.

"Maybe he'll sleep in our room every night now."

Perry could feel the tension from the week start to slip away, losing himself in their soft and gentle touch and listening to their quiet chat. Why had he denied himself this feeling? Tucked between two boys who were wise beyond their years and really only wanted to take care of him. He felt… safe. He felt like it didn't matter that he had messed up that night. Or all week.

These two didn't know about his embarrassing failure. They wouldn't ever know about any of his missions or that part of his life. Maybe…

… maybe that could be a good thing.

Perry closed his eyes and started to purr, his paws kneading the edge of Phineas' pillow. The boys' voices and calming touch were the perfect lullaby he'd been missing all week to help him sleep.

When Perry opened his eyes again, the morning sun was peeking through the split in the shades, running a sliver of light down the center of the room. His body still felt sore, but the billowy softness of the sheets beneath him were a welcome change from the carpet under the couch. He was curled in a ball, nestled against the small of Phineas' back with Ferb's arm draped across him. It was so nice to wake up warm and comfortable. He recalled the boys discussing this being a nightly thing for him during their late chat. Perhaps he'd take that into consideration.

The pup lifted his head with a yawn before resting his bill in the dip of Phineas' waist, closing his eyes and purring when he felt Ferb's hand move and start to stroke down his back again. He would also be reconsidering his opinion on being pet. If done correctly, it was rather enjoyable.

He felt the boys stir beside him as they slowly woke up and shifted around the bed. "Good morning Perry," they both greeted with yawns as they rubbed the sleep from their eyes. The platypup chattered in return, stretching out on his side as they rubbed his belly and scratched under his chin. He arched his back in pleasure before sitting up as well and shaking out his fur.

Bright eyed and bushy tailed as ever, Phineas and Ferb were up and getting ready as Perry stayed on the bed and watched them. He found his tail thumping against the mattress involuntarily when Phineas approached to scoop him up. He wasn't aware his appendage had a mind of its own.

Downstairs, Linda and Lawrence were having a hushed conversation in the kitchen. They'd woken up to discover the new family pet not in the same place it had been all week. After searching the house and finding no trace of the animal, the adults worried he had gotten out. They hadn't even been able to tell the truth when the dog had died, how were they going to tell their children the platypus ran away?

Of course, both were beyond shocked to find their happy five year olds make their way into the kitchen, Phineas cuddling a content looking platypup.

"Mom, Dad! Guess what?" the red head beamed as he set Perry down by his food dish. "Perry slept with us last night!"

The parent's exchanged shocked looks, Linda blinking off her surprise first. "He… came out from under the couch?"

"Uh huh," Phineas confirmed, pushing a chair against the counter top so Ferb could climb up to get the platypus chow out of the cupboard. "He was scared of the storm so I brought him upstairs and he stayed in the bed the whole time!"

"Is that so?" Lawrence helped his son get the items to feed their pet. "Well what do you know boys, your patience paid off."

Phineas and Ferb couldn't look more pleased at their accomplishment as they filled their pet's bowl, the monotreme digging in immediately. Perry decided he would stay by them for the rest of the day, needing the same comfort they had provided to him the night before. He would need the distraction from thinking about what would happen once Major Monogram received Agent C's reports. And also to make up for the week under the couch. After finishing his own breakfast, he parked himself under Ferb's chair as the boys ate their scrambled eggs. Although they were both thoroughly distracted throughout the meal, giggling whenever their pet rubbed his head against their ankles.

The pup trotted off after the children once they were finished and headed out to the backyard to enjoy the summer sun. The grass was still wet from the storm during the night, but it felt good against his paws. The boys were quick to find the day's activity; jumping in the puddles the rain had left. Having an instinctual fondness for water, Perry joined them, chittering and squawking as he chased the gleefully shrieking five year olds around the yard.

"Hi Phineas! Whatcha do—oh wow! Perry's outside!"

The monotreme looked up, currently on his back mid-roll in a muddy puddle. He flipped over to watch as a little girl dressed in a pink jumper skipped into the yard. He'd seen her a few times over at the house. Or at least he had seen her pink sneakers from under the couch. Isabella he recalled her name being.

"Yep! He likes us now!" Phineas dropped to his knees into the puddle, scooping up his wet and muddy pet. It didn't matter though; the child himself was already soaked. "Dontcha Perry? Whosa good boy? Whosa good platypus?"

Perry tried not to roll his eyes at the baby talk, even if a certain warmth spread through him at the sound of Phineas' cooing. Ferb hurried over to offer his own muddy cuddles, both boys eager to show off the pet they hadn't had a chance to share with their friends yet.

It turned into an eventful morning for the young pup, his owners deciding to embrace the semi-aquatic theme of the day and set up a slip n' slide in the backyard. They declared it Perry's official 'welcome to the family' day and invited more of the neighborhood kids over.

At first, Perry was overwhelmed. Too many grabby hands. But he underestimated how protective his friendly owners could be. Phineas denied anyone's request to hold the pup, allowing them only to pet, but only if he and Ferb were holding him. And Ferb policed the petting. If any of the children's strokes were even remotely rough looking, he shooed them off with a scolding glare. Perry couldn't tell if the two were being responsible pet owners… or possessive. Either way he was thankful for it, content to stay curled up against Phineas' chest or firmly stationed at Ferb's shoes.

By lunch time, the platypup was exhausted. He wanted a sunny spot on the patio to dry off and just watch the rest of the activities, which including sprinkler jumping and a water balloon fight. Luckily, Linda noticed his yawn when she was bringing out watermelon slices and told the boys to let him alone for awhile.

"You've made them really happy, little guy," the woman said softly as she reached down to pat Perry's head. The platypup smiled to himself. He'd made himself happy too. It was actually really nice to have a focus other than his training. It could be like this always… especially if he was disbanded from the agency.

Perry cursed himself for thinking of the O.W.C.A. He'd successfully ignored any memories of the previous night all day and now he was thinking about it again. He sat up, feeling the urge for one of the boys to hold him, but when he did, his felt his communicator vibrate against his wrist.

Perry winced. He didn't even want to know.

With a reluctant sigh he looked around and decided the side of the house was a safe spot. Tucking himself behind the garbage cans, the agent in training pulled back the fur on his wrist and clicked the com-link.

"Good Afternoon Trainee," Major Monogram's tone was light and casual, not at all the deep scolding the platypus assumed he would be receiving. "Just wanted to let you know your paperwork was sent out today, so keep an eye on the mail. Also, I was going over Agent C's documentation from last night's mission…"

Perry tensed, bracing himself for the tongue lashing.

"Congratulations on your first field mission being a success. Not that anyone here at O.W.C.A had any doubt given your impressive track record in training," the major cleared his throat. "Agent C will be sending you her notes and feedback shortly. We'll have you in Monday to show you how the debriefing procedure works. Until then, enjoy the weekend with your new family."

Perry stared at his communicator in shock, almost forgetting to salute the major before the video link cut out. But… how… why… what?

As the agent trainee tried to process what had just happened, his communicator beeped again, indicating he had an e-mail. He clicked the side button on his com to project the document in a hologram. Perry tilted his head curiously, seeing the e-mail was from Agent C.

_**Mission:**__ 2695 Alpha00_

_**Level**__: Orange-Mild Emergency_

_**Threat**__: P. Pantomime – Chemical warfare_

_**Status**__: Complete (Successfully neutralized toxins)_

It was a pretty standard incident report; one agents would fill out and send to their superiors. Perry had just been forwarded the e-mail. He skimmed it, reading Agent C's description of the mission details. He stopped skimming when he came across himself mentioned in the observation section.

_Trainee Agent Platypus was assigned as backup. Arrived promptly. Followed orders. Created effective distraction. Displayed talent in evasive tactics. Analysis: with practice in focusing and keeping track of all targets, Trainee Agent P shows potential to reach agent status shortly._

The little platypup stared in disbelief at the e-mail, his expression softening. She… thought he did well? His eyes trailed down to a note tacked onto the e-mail that was not part of the forwarded report. Which meant Major Monogram wouldn't have seen it.

_No one's first time is perfect, kiddo. _

_Brush it off and get back out there._

_Keep up the good work. –Agent C_

Perry felt his chest swell. It was… something he really needed to hear.

"Hey, where's Perry?"

The platypup looked up at the sound of Phineas' voice. He clicked his com off and hurried back to all fours, bounding out from behind the trash cans and back to the yard.

"Oh, there you are Perry!"

The animal purred contently as he was scooped up by the little boy, nestling his bill against Phineas' shoulder as he was carried back into the house. The other children had left and it was now they boys' job to bathe themselves and their pet after a long day of splashing through muddy puddles. Perry didn't mind baths. He was, after all, a water lover. And as they had been since the beginning, Phineas and Ferb were very gentle with him. Late evening found Perry comfortably curled up on Ferb's lap on the couch as Phineas stroked the top of his head.

"He's really gotten attached to you boys," Lawrence smiled, coming into the living room with his wife at his side.

Linda handed her son the short strap of leather, "Here we go, all finished," she said as Phineas took the pet collar from her, instantly opening up the charm to see the pictures his mother had put inside and then show them to the platypus.

"See Perry? Now you're a Flynn-Fletcher just like us," he smiled, letting Ferb sit their pet up so he could buckle the collar on.

Perry chittered in response. He hadn't wanted a host family. He hadn't wanted the distraction from his goal. Or a home away from the O.W.C.A headquarters. Or to put up with a bunch of humans treating him like a pet. Or a silly food bowl with his name on it. He hadn't wanted the cuddles, or the petting, or the little boys fawning over him. He hadn't wanted any of it.

But he needed it. He now realized why the organization gave its agents families.

He needed something to fight for. He needed to have something to be the best he could be for. He had the will, but he needed that extra motivation. He needed someone to come home to. He needed to be held and stroked and reminded that he had somewhere he belonged even if messed up.

And as Perry snuggled between the two boys he now called his own, he vowed to be the best agent the O.W.C.A had ever seen. Because Phineas and Ferb deserved only the best.

He would do it for them.


	5. Love Shopping

**A/N: This story is based on a conversation I heard my mother have with my older brother when he was a teenager. My brother started dating a girl he was fond of almost right out of middle school. They were still dating in their senior year of high school and my mother made a comment that they had wasted their high school years by only dating the same person. The comment never sat well with me.**

But regardless of my mother's insecure comment... my brother is happily married to that girl and they are expecting their first child soon. So this is dedicated to them ^^

**__**

Love Shopping

"I don't have TIME today, Phineas!"

"But you said-"

"I can't always clear my schedule to be your personal gear monkey!"

"Hold up, wait, I NEVER asked you to do that!"

"No, but you expect it! You've always expected it! I'm supposed to drop everything when you have a big idea you just HAVE to do right away! And then what about when I need help with something?"

"Then TELL me you need my help! I'm not a mind reader, Isabella!"

"I don't want you to read my mind, but brushing up on body language might be a good idea! You're so one track minded that you can't see past whatever you've gotten yourself obsessed with!" Isabella slammed her locker, making the entire row rattle. The levels of frustrated this boy could make her were dangerously high. And she wasn't exactly surprised. Phineas Flynn had been frustrating her since they were children.

And it hurt sometimes… that she felt as if she were the one always following him. Always chasing after him. Even though they had been dating for years now, she was still the one that felt like she had to win him over. It was an insecurity she had felt back when they had first started going out. That Phineas would eventually see something shiny and she would be just another idea that had been fun for the moment, but mysteriously vanished the next without any explanation.

Of course she knew that was just an irrational fear, he'd proven to her that she was more than just another way to seize that particular day. But it was times like this, when he ignored how much was going on in her life because he had a new invention or idea he wanted her to help with. She knew he didn't mean to do it on purpose, to make it seem like his schedule was more important than her's. But that's how it came off at times and it drove her crazy. Heck, he hadn't even known she had feelings for him for years because he was so consumed with his and Ferb's to-do list.

Phineas winced, suddenly any anger that his girlfriend's sudden outburst stirred up in him evaporated as he watched her lean back against the locker and cover her eyes with her hand. He didn't mean to upset her. He never meant to upset anyone even though he had been made aware a few times that his enthusiasm could be a tad… _annoying_. And he would admit to getting a little... _passionate_ about some of his ideas for new inventions. But he definitely didn't do it intentionally. Isabella was right. He was just very focused on whatever was going on in his brain. He lived in the moment.

Isabella's long hair fell down in front of her face, hiding her peeved expression, but Phineas could hear her exasperated sigh behind the veil of black. Contrary to what she thought, he was getting better with reading people. Her especially. The outburst had made him retrace what would be putting her on edge. With graduation a few months off, stress levels were rising throughout their core group of friends. And over achieving Isabella would mostly likely be among the most stressed.

The two rarely fought. But almost four years of dating had them slipping into what they assumed was a comfortable pattern, but Phineas thought that perhaps they had unwittingly straddled the line of casual complacency. Even the strongest of couples slacked on communication once and a while.

But their spats never lasted long, mostly due to their personality types. Both teenagers were non-confrontational people with a strong urge to be friendly with everyone they knew. That counted double with their significant other. And Phineas was determined to keep it that way.

He was already leaning toward her, buttering up after the outburst. "Hey…" he said softly, leaning down to touch his forehead to hers in an attempt to get her to look up at him. "I don't want to fight."

Isabella's moody sneer softened at his touch. It was so hard to stay mad at him. He wasn't a stubborn boy in the least; he knew when to admit he was wrong and did his best to atone for mistakes. You wouldn't see her gossiping to her friends like a lot of the girls their age, complaining about bullheaded boyfriends who always think they were right. Not her Phineas. She removed her hand from her eyes, meeting his contrite blue ones.

He coaxed a smile out of her with one of his own, his thumb tilting her chin up. "C'mere," he muttered, leaning in to kiss the corner of her mouth. She relaxed more, letting him kiss her before just settling into his arms, her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I'm distracted. Tell me what you need from me," he spoke into her hair, content to hold her after their slight blow up. Any conflict rattled the red head and he just couldn't handle anyone being mad at him. Especially Isabella.

She smiled, nestling against his shirt collar and breathing in his scent. This was why she couldn't stay mad at him. "I'm sorry I got overwhelmed. I just have all those scholarship essays that need to be completed."

"Then we'll go to that internet café you like tonight," he insisted, his hand petting down the back of her long pony tail.

She beamed with delight. That sounded much more preferable than his parents' drafty garage. "And we'll work on the modifications to the car over the weekend," she compromised.

"Perfect," he agreed, placing an exaggerated kiss on the side of her head to make her giggle. "I'll see you in Physics."

She watched him head off to his class, feeling better despite how stressed she had been moments ago. Phineas' need to be doing something every second of the day got on her nerves from time to time. But he was so good to her. And besides… that was one of the reasons she had fallen so hard for him when they were kids.

"Whoa, trouble in paradise?" Gretchen hurried up beside her friend as soon as Phineas had left, having seen the locker slam from down the hall. Their mutual friend Stephanie from P.E. followed her over as well.

"Crisis averted," Isabella waved her childhood friend off. "Nothing to see here folks, move along."

Gretchen smirked. "Do the two of you ever fight for longer than five minutes?"

"Hey," Isabella grinned in a mock warning tone. "This one was a serious seven minutes."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at the snickering pair of former Fireside Girls. "Just you wait until the honeymoon period is over. You'll be just like every other couple that fights all the time."

Gretchen snorted out a laugh. She forgave their friends' naivety. Stephanie had only lived in Danville for a year. "Are you kidding me? They've had dibs on one another since freshman year."

"Excuse you, I called dibs back in second grade," Isabella stated matter-of-factly as they walked down the hall to the gym.

"You've been dating that long?" Stephanie raised an eyebrow. Isabella looked proud of that fact, but wavered when the blonde's expression didn't look impressed. "So you guys have like… never dated anyone else?"

Isabella and Gretchen shared a confused look. "Yeah? So?" she shrugged.

"Well I mean isn't this the time in our lives where we're supposed to be shopping around? All you know is Phineas. How do you know there isn't someone better out there?"

"Because there _isn't_," Isabella bristled, her tone taking on a distinct defensive edge.

"But you don't _know_ that because you've only dated one guy," Stephanie explained. "Are you going to marry him?"

"That's been the plan since second grade," Gretchen teased, but shut up when she caught a glance of Isabella's less than joking glare.

"So you marry him and then what? You've missed out on an entire part of your life because you 'settled' in high school!" Stephanie chuckled. "You'll get married early. Have kids early-"

"That's not true, we want to travel!" Isabella cut her off, determined to get her say in.

Stephanie rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Yeah that's what they all say. And that still means you'll have never had time to enjoy being young and single! No flings, no steamy one night stands, no hunky college frat boys. You're stuck with dweeby Phineas Flynn and planning a wedding while still in a dorm roo-"

Stephanie's teasing was cut short when Isabella grabbed the sleeve of her blouse, shoving her roughly against the gym door. "Call my boyfriend a dweeb one more time and I'll make sure you don't experience any of those things either," she hissed, narrowing her eyes.

"Back off, you're just pissed cause you know I'm right," Stephanie shrugged herself out of Isabella's grip, brushing off the threat with a glare of her own.

Isabella's hackles were still raised as the girl walked past her and into the locker room. Gretchen gave her friend a sympathetic look. "Don't listen to her Izzie."

"I'm _not_," Isabella growled, fists still clenched. With a moody huff, she followed Gretchen into the locker room to get changed for P.E.

But the teasing stayed with her throughout the class. And she hated that Stephanie's words were burrowing their way through her thoughts. It didn't help that the small clash with Phineas earlier was still fresh in her brain.

She wasn't settling, right? Of course not. Phineas had been all she'd ever wanted when she was younger. And she had him now. She'd had him for almost four years. And her relationship was perfect.

Okay it wasn't _perfect_, but no relationship was. And they were teenagers. They made being moody an art form. So she and Phineas were as close to perfect as one could get. But it bugged her that she had to continue to remind herself of that fact all through gym class.

Was she honestly doubting her relationship? Was she actually contemplating all the things Stephanie had said? That she was missing a part of life that being single offered her? Her thoughts turned to those of just continuing through life chasing Phineas and blindly following his every idea. Possibly giving up things she desired to be just so he could be what he wanted. Would he be that selfish? Would she be that submissive? What if they did start a family early and neither of them were able to do what they wanted to do before having kids? What if he wanted kids, but also have a demanding job? Would be expect her to be a stay at home mother?

Her bad mood had returned with a vengeance by the end of the gym period. So much so that she didn't bother brushing her tangled hair or cleaning off her sweat stained face. Now a quiet evening out with her boyfriend seemed like a chore. Anything other than moping seemed like a chore. She felt herself slowly slip into that stressed pattern of being so overwhelmed with thoughts and things to do, that she didn't want to do any of it. One more class and she could just go home and drown herself in a bag of chips and bad reality TV. Of course, avoiding her stress would in turn make her more stressed out later. It was a vicious cycle.

Isabella slumped down into her desk in Physics, waiting for her lab partners to arrive. This was the only class this year she had with Phineas and Ferb and of course they sat at the same table. She heard him come in through the back of the room, laughing at something his step brother said, but she didn't bother to turn around. She closed her eyes and sighed, resting her chin on her arm and deciding she would blow off Phineas' earlier suggestion of going to the café.

"Someone looks like they had a rough gym class."

His voice was a soft whisper as he leaned down behind her, pressing a kiss to her flushed skin. It wasn't like the teasing tone that Stephanie's had been in the back of her mind. It was understanding. Concerned. Isabella opened her eyes, intending to let him know she just wanted to go home after school. But the words died on her tongue at the sight of the small steamed red rose Phineas held in front of her.

Isabella looked up at him as she took the flower and he sat beside her at the table, his hand moving to hold her free one while he flipped open his text book. Her mind had started to paint him as this person who was just out to drag her along through his life for his own convenience. But as his thumb stroked the back of her hand she was reminded that wasn't the case. It had never been the case.

Ferb made a whip cracking noise in the direction of his sibling. Phineas just chuckled, intertwining his fingers with Isabella's. "Hey, she puts up with me. She gets flowers whenever I'm an idiot, okay?"

"You must be an idiot an awful lot," Ferb rolled his eyes, but smiled at his brother's sincerity. They were siblings, teasing was part of the package. But he knew very well how strong his brother's relationship was with their neighbor.

"Well… that and I know she likes flowers," Phineas turned his smile back to Isabella, bringing her knuckles up to his lips for another kiss.

Isabella still hadn't spoken, just continued to stare at the boy beside her. The boy she had longed for during her childhood days of summer. The boy who eventually realized he thought the same way about her. The boy who was more than just her crush, but her best friend. One she could rely on in any situation. And whose amazing genius had indeed put them in many unique situations. And though there was many times that the boy was distracted, he was never so distracted that he couldn't remember she loved roses.

She wasn't settling with Phineas. She was beyond lucky to have him in her life, sitting beside her, holding her hand and reminding her that he knew he wasn't perfect and he was so thankful she loved him despite that. She too was far from perfect. Especially at that moment with her hair a mess, cheeks still red from gym class, and a ball of emotional stress… And there he was, focused only on holding her hand and doting on her affectionately. He wasn't out to take advantage of her unyielding feelings for him. He was there to share his own with her.

Who wanted to go through all that chaos and heartbreak Stephanie had described anyway? Isabella wasn't the type of girl who was going to sleep around for fun and keep a little black book of lovers. She wanted real love and romance. Someone to share the ups and downs with and figure life out together. And she had it.

She eventually found herself smiling as the teacher started class. Phineas silently mouthed her three favorite words to her with a wink, and she mouthed them back.

Isabella had never needed to shop around for love. She'd found it right across the street sitting under an elm tree, telling her he knew what they were going to do that day. And every day after.


	6. Practice

**A/N: Another teen Phinbella drable containing some mature themes! Short and sweet with a few chuckles thrown in for fun!**

**_Practice_**

Isabella stared listlessly at the dawn sun filtering in through her blinds, bathing the darkened room in glowing horizontal stripes. She let a few strands of her hair fall in front of her eyes, blocking out the summer morning light and letting her relax a bit longer. She had been mentally awake for awhile, but her body pleaded for more rest and the steady rise and fall of her 'pillow' was the perfect lullaby.

Phineas was still dead asleep, one arm tucked behind his head under the pillow and his other draped across Isabella's bare back. She was content to just take in the little details of the moment. Her warm cheek on his bare chest. The sound of his soft, even breaths. Her silken bed sheets she would have to clean later that day…

It had been the first night he'd spent at her place. Technically it was the first night they had spent together in either one of their rooms. A risky endeavor for any sixteen year old, but her mother and father were gone for the night, spending their anniversary out of town. She rarely took advantage of her parent's trust, but the opportunity was too golden.

Isabella was having a hard time being away from her boyfriend recently. Having an even harder time keeping her hands off him. A week earlier, Phineas had swept her away to Paris for a night and she was still reeling from his bold move. Blindfolded the entire flying car ride there, she had nearly melted into a puddle when he removed the cloth and her first sight was the Eifel Tower all lit up on a beautiful night. She loved Paris, even if their first time there had been less than ideal. And she loved that he wanted to make it up to her. To give her the special night she'd been wanting for quite awhile. She adored how much of a gentleman Phineas was, and unlike most boys their age, a physical relationship was not his priority. But Isabella had made it clear a year after they were dating that she was ready. And she would wait till he was.

The surprise trip had been his way of telling her he finally was.

Their first night together had been a glorious mixture of magic and passion…along with a heavy dose of nerves, awkward apologies, and muffled giggling. Neither cared though. The fact that it hadn't been perfect, actually made it perfect. That the majority of the night was just spent holding one another and nothing more.

Holding was nice, but since that night they were trying to get more practice in. Which at their age involved a lot of sneaking around. Luckily, they had outstanding reputations. Which meant a little white lie here and there about a sleep over with the girls, or a late table top gaming night with the boys was enough to throw their parents' off their scent. Initially they both felt bad about making up stories, but any guilt was forgotten as soon as they were alone. The fruit of temptation was just too sweet to resist.

Alibis were easier to come by then locations. So far their options had been limited to Phineas and Ferb's car and the supply room closet of the school auditorium after Glee club practice. So when Isabella's bedroom was free to be christened, neither had given a second thought.

And in Isabella's humble opinion, the practice was paying off. While it didn't take much for her to make Phineas a happy camper, her boyfriend was putting his ability to learn fast to good use. He had mastered the Rubix cube that was her bra clasp and no longer felt like he needed to ask permission for every little movement his hands made. It was lasting longer and Phineas was queuing in to different ways to make sure Isabella was just as pleased as he was. They were both still fledglings when it came to love making, but they were enjoying getting to know one another's bodies on a new level.

Isabella opened one eye when a light buzz sounded from her night stand. The orange smart phone vibrated once more, nudging the purple one beside it. She gingerly reached over to pick it up, swiping her thumb to activate the screen. A group text to Phineas and his brother from 'Mom' flashed across the top and Isabella tapped it.

_'Off to work. Text when you two get home.'_

Isabella nuzzled her cheek against Phineas' shoulder as she typed a response for him, going along with the cover story they had agreed on. _'Still at Baljeet's. Be back before you and Dad get home.'_

They had all morning and afternoon to spend together before her own parents were due home. Her mind went through all the things they could do like going out for breakfast or an early morning run. But 'staying in bed' seemed like the most appealing of all the possibilities. Another buzz from Phineas' phone had her checking the screen again.

_'You still 'at my house' lover boy?' _

She smirked at Baljeet's message, amused that those three were up this early. _'He's mine. You'll never see your precious leader again – Izzie'_

Her movement made Phineas shift under her, his hand moving up to run through her hair as he slowly came out of his slumber. "Whatcha dooin?" his gravelly, sleep laden voice mocked her catch phrase as he craned his neck a bit to kiss her head.

"Holding you hostage," she hummed as she continued to swap texts with their friend.

"You fiend," he yawned, not caring if she was on his phone. Other couples might view the act as a breach of privacy. But he used hers all the time, currently plucking the purple one off the night stand to check what time it was. "..'s eaaaarly," he murmured, putting the phone down and pulling his out of her hand mid text so he could wrap her up in his arms. He rolled them onto their sides, kissing at her neck as she giggled. He was relishing the feeling of waking up beside her, still love drunk from their night together. It had taken him so long to get over the anxiety of moving to this step in their relationship and now he wondered what he had ever been afraid of.

"Mmm… no escape, Mr. Flynn," she purred, leaning into his kisses as she wound her arms around his shoulders. She inhaled deeply as she felt his tongue against her skin, a yearning warmth building up inside her. A manifestation of everything she had ever felt for him since they were children. She adored that she now had an outlet for said feelings. Her hand found its way into is hair, brushing past the velvet soft buzzed section on the back of his neck and up into the messy shock of fiery red-orange strands.

A thousand cheesy Bond-movie cliché comebacks rolled through Phineas' mind, intent on continuing the banter they had started. But his lips couldn't be bothered to part with her body. He was addicted to her. Her scent. Her taste. He doubted he would ever find a cure and was completely content to perish from her charms.

His kiss left the nape of her neck to seek out her full lips as his hand reached under the pillow, feeling around for their stash of little foiled packages. He mentally cursed himself when his fingers only grasped bed sheets. He had misjudged how much 'practicing' they had done last night. His kiss slowed and he opened his eyes to look down at his dark haired goddess. He swallowed thickly, feeling guilty at the sight of her intense blue gaze urging him to continue his worship of her.

Phineas was very strict with himself on the subject of protection. But… there were plenty of other ways to enjoy the moment that didn't require it. His mouth curled up into a smile and he returned to nibbling on Isabella's lower lip.

Isabella whined into the kiss, realizing what her boyfriend's fumbling around meant. She made a mental note to hit the drug store later and stock up. Just as she was about to break the kiss and attempt to come down from the rising high before they got too carried away, she felt Phineas' hand dip beneath the sheets between their bodies. She inhaled sharply at the contact as his fingers moved south. Humming in delight at the change in plans, she grasped the blanket as he wordlessly insisted they continue. He had this covered.

Phineas grinned as she deepened the kiss to silently thank him. He loved taking her by surprise. He knew her well; years of friendship had given him a thorough knowledge of her person. Her intelligence, her talents, her take charge attitude and dependable nature. But he wanted so badly to know her body as well as he did her mind. He was still working on it, but judging by the desperate noises passing her lips and melting against his, he was getting the hang of it.

Isabella let her head fall back against the pillow as she lost herself in his touch. She hadn't expected the move, her face filling with an intense blush. Either she was extremely sensitive or he was a natural. Regardless, she arched herself against his hand. "I-I'm not even gonna a-ask where you l-learned thiiiis," she trilled.

"Guitar lessons," he purred, kissing the corner of her mouth.

"Then maybe I should show you what I learned in pottery class next," she sighed softly.

Phineas couldn't stop himself from blushing at her implication. He would have asked her to elaborate, but a loud slam from the first floor ceased all other thoughts and movement from the two teens.

The front door.

"Oh..my.. god," Isabella breathed out in a whisper as she and Phineas froze in terror. They both stayed as still as humanely possible for a few tense seconds, hoping and praying they had not just heard the unmistakable sound of the front door slamming.

Phineas cleared his throat softly. "… maybe it's not-"

"ISA! ARE YOU AWAKE?"

All at once, Isabella shoved Phineas off her, scrambling to get out from under the sheets and find clothes. She came from a family with not one, but two backgrounds containing stereotypical mothers who didn't believe in knocking. And her mother upheld those stereotypes like they were her own personal creed. Nor did she see the irony in checking if her daughter was awake by screeching loudly from the bottom of the staircase.

Phineas hit the carpet with a heavy thud, pulling the bed sheet off with him as his girlfriend flew around the room, throwing on a long t-shirt and grabbing a bottle of body spray off her dresser. It was a flurry of movement as she attempted to mask their scent with Cherry Blossom while also yanking a half petrified, half lightheaded, fully naked Phineas off the floor.

"Y-YEAH I'M UP MOM!" Isabella shouted back, shoving the red head across the room towards her closet as he struggled to keep her bed sheets wrapped around himself. _"What the heck are they doing home_?!" she hissed to herself.

Phineas opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as the closet door shut in his face. He swallowed his words and held his breath along with the bed sheets. Well… so much for sleeping in.

He stayed put and listened to Isabella 's muffled voice talk to her parents as if she was not currently harboring him in her closet. Neither of the adults sounded suspicious and at one point she had opened the closet enough to toss him his clothes and phone. He dressed and snuck out when he was sure the family was downstairs. It was a simple manner of slipping out her bedroom window and onto the roof, thankful that her backyard gate met up with the side of the house for easy access to the ground. Phineas was feeling very clever as he texted her that they were in the clear. A heart emoticon in response had him breathing easier as he strode down the block towards Baljeet's house.

Much like they had been doing at each other's houses since they were kids, Phineas invited himself in through the back door, finding his brother and friends still in their sleep wear lounging around the kitchen. The group looked up of their breakfast, surprised to see their missing member.

"We were not expecting you until later. Or without paying a ransom," Baljeet muttered into his mug of coffee, making the other two boys snicker.

Phineas slunk over to the half full pot of caffeine, helping himself to some. "Her parents came home early."

The boys erupted into a teasing round of 'ooooooooh'.

"Well yer still alive, so it must not have been that bad," Buford shrugged, returning to his eggs.

Phineas just grinned and leaned against the counter as he nursed his coffee. "Hey, my girl had it covered."

"You hid in a closet, didn't you?" Ferb asked, not looking up from stirring his tea.

Phineas nodded as he swallowed a sip of his drink. "Izzie's reaction time is remarkable considering what we were doing when-"

"Ah ah," Baljeet held up his hand. "We all agreed that none of us wants to have that mental image of you or Isabella ingrained into our minds."

"Like how it's already ingrained in the back seat of our car," Ferb cleared his throat, but his brother swatted at his shoulder with a laugh.

"Oh come off it bro, that back seat was broken in by you and Vanessa. Don't try to act innocent."

"I would never," the green haired boy smirked ever so slightly.

"So other than talk about the ridiculous amount of tail the two of you are getting, what _else_ are we going to do today?" Buford finished off his breakfast.

The boys started to go over different ideas for summer projects they had yet to test out, but Phineas was distracted by the buzz of his cell phone. He smiled at the text message from his one and only, a cheesy threat worded ever so carefully to sound like a super villain daring him to foil her evil scheme. It seemed her parents were none the wiser of their night escapade and they were right back to their antics, having learned no lesson of why their bedrooms should be off limits. The sound of his friends chatting was quickly muffled to background noise as he texted her back, playing along with the apparent theme of the day. He wasn't exactly sure what the guys had planned…

… but he knew what he wanted to do that day.


	7. Re-Discovery

_**A/N: **_**Had the urge to write another action chapter, which means Aaaaaagent P! This is my take on how the boys eventually find out about Perry... again. I might write a 'follow up' chapter to this if people want it bad enough.**

_**Re-Discovery**_

It had all happened so fast. Things had been fine. The day had been normal. But that was how these situations always were. It wasn't something you could expect to happen and plan for. Most individuals assumed it would never happen to them or to anyone they knew. Especially not anyone they loved. Even if the individuals evaded the norm almost every day with lives that were filled with a consistent rush and an endless supply of adventure and impossibilities.

Which was why the paralyzed feeling that gripped Ferb felt so out of place as he watched the delivery truck peel away from the curb side.

With his brother in the back.

Ferb hadn't initially realized when his brother was no longer beside him, singing for packages much like they always did. It hadn't registered in his brain that the man had grabbed hold of Phineas' shirt sleeve along with the clip board. That Phineas himself had been too surprised by the move to counter it. He recalled another hand from the back of the truck reaching for his own arm, but his reflexes were fast enough that he side stepped the glove, his heel hitting the curb and causing him to fall back into the grass. Ferb hadn't processed what was happening until the truck door closed, its occupants deciding not to waste any more time with the fallen brother. Apparently one was enough.

The green haired boy stumbled into the street in a desperate attempt to run after the vehicle. His brain knew he couldn't catch a truck on foot, but his heart refused to listen. An all-encompassing fear squeezed the breath from his lungs, released from his lips with a broken, strangled cry as he watched the truck get farther and farther away.

Ferb was quickly starting to hyperventilate, his fingers grasping his hair as his mismatched eyes darted wildly in thought of what he was supposed to do next. How he was supposed to handle this. What method would be the most efficient in bringing his brother back.

His panicked thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a revving engine close enough behind him that he subconsciously moved to the side. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as their driveway… opened up?

The cement slid aside, revealing a ramp leading from somewhere under their house. And even though their home had several mechanisms that moved the entire building up, down, and side to side, this addition to the driveway surprised Ferb.

Because he hadn't made that modification.

A flash of turquoise and white darted out from the tunnel, flying through the air and landing directly in the center of the street. The smell of burning rubber hit Ferb's senses as the custom motorcycle sped past him in the direction the truck had gone.

The thirteen year old was aware the amount of stress he was currently under and that the situation may be affecting his mind… but he could have sworn he saw a platypus tail flapping in the wind off the back of the bike.

Phineas gripped the sleeve of the arm wrapped around his shoulders, half trying to pull away from it and half trying to keep his balance with the violent motion of the truck. He wasn't incredibly sure what was going on. He was being kidnapped, he gathered that much. There was another man in the back of the truck with the one who currently had a tight hold on him. Only the one holding him was dressed as a delivery man, the other wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. Phineas didn't recognize either of them.

"-he was RIGHT next to this one! You couldn't have just grabbed him?!"

"He stepped out of the way! And then Jeff gunned it!"

Judging by their conversation though, it wasn't a very well thought out kidnapping.

"Uuum," Phineas tried to ask what was going on, but the men were shouting at one another and to whoever was driving the truck. Apparently that was Jeff. It seemed rude to try and speak over them. Though he had always been raised to be polite and understanding, perhaps this wasn't a situation where he should be concerned about manners. It was never easy for a child like Phineas, who liked to see the best in everyone, to take off his rose colored glasses and remember not everyone was the best.

"-he'll alert the police and then we'll have them putting out an Amber Alert before the agent even knows we have one! This was supposed to be done discreetly!"

The man holding him was upset that his partner hadn't caught his brother, for which Phineas was grateful for. But he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he was also unnerved by the fact that he was alone with people who obviously didn't have his best interests in mind. And an agent? Agent of what?

"Then we'll dump him and check back with the organization."

Phineas swallowed thickly. He really hoped that didn't mean while the truck was still moving.

Said truck made a sharp turn, clipping the curb and jostling the occupants of the back cargo hold. It was enough to knock one of the men into a few of the cardboard boxes and the other to loosen his grip on Phineas. The red head took advantage of that fact and shoved away from the man. But other than move a few feet away beside some of the boxes or through to the connecting front cab with the driver, Phineas had nowhere to retreat to. He pressed himself up against the farthest wall from his captors.

"Watch your driving! We've got nothing to hold onto back here!" the fallen man struggled to right himself.

"That's the least of our worries right now," the driver barked back at them.

The two other men looked at each other quizzically, but their answer was given in the form of a loud bang against the back door of the truck. Phineas jolted at the sound, turning to look as well and seeing the metal at the corners of the door dented in. Another bang blew the hinges off at the door, one side flying open. The force of the wind and the speed of the truck ripped the rest of the loading door off, causing the passengers to scramble to the back of the truck.

Fear rippled through Phineas at the sight as he pressed himself against the wall as much as he could; palms and cheek up against the cold metal. He looked out the now open end of the truck, watching the door hit the road and almost hit a motorcyclist who was driving behind him. But the cyclist expertly dodged the flying sheet of metal, speeding up to get closer to the truck. It took Phineas a second to realize the cyclist wasn't just driving behind them. He was following them. And judging by the lasers attached to the side of the bike, he was probably the reason the truck had no back loading door anymore.

For a moment, Phineas' heart leapt at the thought of rescue. But the closer the bike got, the more the red head squinted his eyes to make out the details of the driver. Looking past the bike's windshield and the driver's helmet, elements of the cyclist didn't make sense to Phineas.

And yet, at the same time, they made complete sense to his subconscious.

A duck bill.

Webbed back feet.

A beaver tail.

Phineas immediately blamed fear and insanity. The stress of such an ordeal was getting to him, that was all. It couldn't and shouldn't be what it looked like. It didn't make any sense. But then again, the entire situation made little sense. Perhaps he was dreaming. Because only in a dream world would he be kidnapped by unknown men and then pursued by-

"How the hell did he get on us so fast?!"

"I told you we didn't have a lot of time! He works fast!"

The man in the black shirt got his balance back, reaching over to grab the back of Phineas' shirt, making the boy yelp. He was pulled away from the relative safety of the truck wall and forced in front of his captor. "N-no! Stop!" He reached back to try and wretch the collar of his shirt from the man's gloved grip, terrified as he was moved closer and closer to the open door. He dug his heels in, trying not to picture himself coming to the same end as the loading door. His situation didn't improve any when the man's free hand pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans.

Phineas inhaled sharply at the sight of the weapon being pointed at the cyclist. The logical side of the boy's thought process still wasn't completely convinced that the owner of the motorcycle was who it appeared to be. But seeing the gun pointed at the short furry driver almost seemed to flip a switch in Phineas' brain.

Broken images flew through his mind, clips and memories of fedoras and robots that shouldn't be there. They had no context. But the feelings the boy had when they flashed across his vision were as if he was waking up from a deep, vivid dream. The memories started out fuzzy and indecipherable, but with each image came more clarity. More detail.

Frightened blue eyes met a narrowed brown gaze through the motorcycle visor.

The gun went off; the bullet ricocheting off the fiberglass shell of the motorcycle as it just missed its target.

"PERRY!"

The motorcycle sped up to drive beside the truck and out of firing range, giving Phineas a chance to catch the breath he hadn't known he was holding. The name had slipped past his lips as naturally as it would if he had known exactly what was going on. Because all at once he did know. He struggled as the man wrapped his arm fully around his body, pinning his arms to his sides, "Don't shoot him! Please don't shoot him!"

The boy's desperate pleas were ignored, the man holding him shouting back to his partner in the delivery guy disguise. "Are they far enough away or what?"

The other man was checking a cell phone as he braced himself against the wall for stability. "They want us to distract the agent as long as we can."

"Easy for them to say! If this guy catches us, he's going to rip out our spines for touching this kid!" the man in black hissed, gesturing to Phineas with the barrel of his gun. The boy winced, tensing up as the weapon was moved closer to his face. He was trying hard to balance his fear and understand what was going on, while also make sense of the unknown memories filtering through his brain. Why did it suddenly make sense that his beloved pet had this secret life? Why did he both know it to be true and yet was surprised by it at the same time? Another loud bang sounded, this time on top of the truck.

Phineas' heart leapt into his throat at the sight of the motorcycle coming back into view behind the truck and slowing to an automated stop. Without anyone driving it. The boy was momentarily convinced that Perry had fallen from his bike, but the sudden shout from Jeff the driver made it a little more clear what had happened.

"I need some help up here!"

The two men turned around, the one holding Phineas yanking him off his feet and tucking him under his arm as if he were a football. Sure enough, they could see through the little doorway that there was a platypus now inside the cab of the truck. Jeff was driving with one hand while trying to keep the monotreme from grabbing the wheel with his other.

The delivery man in disguise rushed through the doorway into the cab, making a grab for the agent only to get a turquoise punch to the face that knocked him into the passenger seat.

Agent Perry the Platypus growled in warning as he balanced himself on the dashboard, glaring down his opponent. He was beyond livid and it showed in his brown eyes. He didn't know how L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N had gotten enough intel to connect Phineas and Ferb to him and he wasn't sure how that would affect his entire way of living. But he would worry about it later. He had a hunch that after singlehandedly taking down several of their latest schemes, the organization realized it wasn't going to get anything done unless top level O.W.C.A Agent Perry the Platypus was thoroughly distracted.

He knew the league was working on something big, Major Monogram having been debriefing him when he had heard the boys' shouting. He had switched the monitor on his computer screen to the cameras in the front yard, seeing one of his owners pulled into the back of a delivery truck. Suddenly whatever mission he was being given paled in comparison to his boys' safety. Ignoring the Major's insistence that he stay put, Perry was off like a shot. He hadn't expected the two sides of his life to intersect that morning. It was the fodder that made up his nightmares.

Perry never anticipated this sort of thing from Doofenschmirtz. The man was a father himself after all. And the evil scientist was helping his daughter move to college that weekend. But Perry didn't put it past some of the other members of L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N to resort to kidnapping. After all, one of the members was completely willing to send the entire planet into a new ice age. And though he had always worried about this exact situation happening, the agent hadn't counted on just how furious it would make him.

Perry dodged a swipe from the driver and jumped down to the floor. The man in the passenger's seat tried to bring his boot down on the platypus, but Perry rolled out of the way. Instead his boot hit the emergency break, snapping it in half. The driver glared at his partner.

"What the hell Dave! Seriously?!"

Perry ducked as a bullet zipped right over his fedora and into the consol, taking out the GPS navigation.

"What the hell Tom?! SERIOUSLY?!"

Phineas kicked his sneaker at the man holding him, scraping down his shin and adding to Tom's flustered state from having missed his target. He winced and dropped the boy, driving his boot into Phineas' side. The twelve year old cried out, pushing himself back away from the man who turned his gun on Phineas instead. "Don't go getting any ideas, kid, or I'll-"

A tangerine beaver tail came down hard on the man's hand holding the gun, making him drop it. The weapon clattered to the floor of the truck and slid towards the open back. Perry landed in a crouch between Tom and Phineas, chittering angrily. The man had already broken the cardinal rule of laying a hand on one of his boys. He'd signed his own death sentence by pointing a gun at him.

Tom swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the irate monotreme and the fallen weapon. In a split second decision, he made a lunge for the gun. He soon realized it had been the wrong decision when a webbed foot came down hard between his shoulder blades, knocking him off balance. He missed the weapon and fell forwards. Perry jumped off the man's back and landed on a tower of boxes, watching as Tom fell head over heels out of the truck.

"Perry!"

The agent looked back over his shoulder, seeing Delivery Guy Dave grab Phineas' wrist, yanking him off the floor. The man pulled the child against his front, his other hand taking a box cutter out from his pocket. Phineas froze, ceasing his struggles as the blade was held against his throat.

Perry fought down the welling emotions building up at the sight of his boy in such a state, keeping his perched stance on top of the boxes. He took the hint, staying still and not getting any closer.

Dave looked away from the platypus' glare, the scenery out the back of the truck catching his attention. They weren't where they were supposed to be. "What are we doing at the docks?!"

"I don't know!" Jeff shouted back, gripping the wheel. "Tom's idiocy took out the GPS! Nice going, Tom!"

"Tom fell out of the truck," Phineas said, keeping his eyes on the blade just under his chin.

"Really?" Jeff flinched. "Man, I kinda feel bad now."

"Just shut up and dri- hey where'd he go?" Dave looked back, finding there was no longer a platypus on top of the boxes.

"I thought the kid just said he-AH!"

The truck swerved as Jeff was startled by the sudden appearance of a platypus swinging down through his open window, receiving a webbed foot to the jaw. The movement threw about the occupants of the cargo hold, Dave and Phineas falling back into the boxes. The box cutter grazed Phineas cheek just under his eye when it slipped from Dave's grip. But the red head took no mind to the stinging as he scrambled to get away from his captor and avoid being tossed from the truck with each dangerous swerve. He found a coil of bungee rope bolted to the floor that was used to hold down bigger packages, clinging to it.

Jeff had lost control of the vehicle, his vision swimming after a particularly firm slap from Perry's flat tail. The platypus' heel came down on the handle of the car door, kicking it open as he gripped the seat belt. A firm shove to the side tossed the man out and placed Perry square in the driver's seat. He grasped the wheel finally, but cringed as he looked out the front window, seeing the end of the docks. The truck was headed right for the water. He reached for the emergency break, but grabbed nothing but air, cursing inwardly when he remembered its fate. He turned frantically in his seat, worriedly looking behind him and into the back of the truck. He scanned the area for his young charge, finding Phineas on the floor amongst the boxes.

Phineas looked up, making eye contact with the agent and seeing the unmistakable fear in Perry's eyes. A quick glance out the windshield made him inhale sharply, seeing the Danville Bay rushing up to meet them. There was only a moment for them to brace themselves.

The force of the impact threw Phineas forward into the boxes. Perry gripped the back of the seat's headrest, tensing his body as the water shattered the windshield and poured into the cab at an alarming rate. He only opened his eyes after the water had gone over his head, taking a split second to get his bearings. He looked back to the entrance into the cargo end of the truck, but it was blocked by all the boxes that had flown forward when they landed. His agile body twisted around in the water, darting out through the open car door window.

Perry moved through the water easily, swimming around the side of the truck as it sunk. Having no back door meant no trapped air, causing the vehicle to sink fast. He pushed through boxes as he looked up at the lighted, rippled surface of the water, seeing Dave swimming towards the waves. Perry looked around amongst the floating boxes, desperately hoping to see the red head kicking for the surface as well. But when he reached the back of the truck and there was no sign of his boy above him, Perry looked back into the darkened cargo hold.

Phineas had gotten tangled in the bungee rope, frantically trying to pull against the coils as they dragged him down with the truck. He turned wide, terrified eyes up to the surface; Perry's darkened form swimming towards him as fast as a platypus could.

When their eyes met, Perry wished he could tell him that it would be alright. To reassure him that he was coming. That he needed to stay calm and not struggle. His tail beat the water rapidly, sending him inside the truck in record time. Perry caught a glimmer of light out of the corner of his eye, the box cutter wedged in the corner of the truck's doorway. He snatched the weapon and swum up beside his owner, giving him a encouraging look as he got to work cutting the ropes. He could see the boy struggling to hold his breath; his eyes squinted as he did his best to hold on.

Perry sliced the last of the ropes as a torrent of bubbles burst from Phineas's nose and mouth. He quickly grabbed his boy's wrist as his body powered through the water, built especially to do so. He could feel the burn in his own chest, but was focused solely on getting Phineas' head above the water. When they broke the surface, Perry was relieved to hear the boy coughing, but quickly realized he wasn't getting much air in as he tried to expel the water from his lungs.

The agent strained to keep the boy up high enough so the waves wouldn't add more water into the gasping child. Phineas was twice his size, but years of training made him strong. And his worry for his boy made him stronger.

They made it to the shallows, a rocky beach beside the harbor. Phineas was wheezing heavily, but finally getting enough air in as he weakly treaded water with one arm, letting Perry do the majority of the swimming until his sneakers scraped against the sandy bottom of the shore. Once they were only in a few inches of water, the red head collapsed to his hands and knees, not caring about the tiny rocks digging into his skin as he hacked and sputtered. A surge of water and bile spilled from his lips, making his eyes water. Phineas focused on slowing down his breathing, bringing up a shaky hand to wipe the moisture from his eyes and face. He felt a hand on his back and shoulder, gently rubbing between his shoulder blades in a calming manner. As soon as he was able to take in a steady and full breath, he looked up at the agent.

Perry, sans his hat, was staying close, waiting for Phineas to show him he was alright. When the boy sat back fully the monotreme was quick to check him over, his little paw on his cheek and frowning at the cut below his eye. "I-I'm okay," Phineas tried to clear his raw throat. "J-just wet," he half laughed awkwardly, coaxing a small smile from his pet.

Perry exhaled softly, thankful as he shared a quiet, locked gaze with his owner. Now that he was't worried he would have to rush the twelve year old to the hospital, he was trying to gauge where Phineas was at emotionally. There was no denying his secret was out… again. But it was a stark difference from the first time Phineas learned of his double life almost two years ago. There was evil megalomaniac getting into his head, trying to spin his alter ego in a poor light. But Perry could still remember how hurt the boy had been, that look of betrayal was burned deep into his memory banks. Phineas' scathing words. Perry had never wanted the ability to speak so badly. And here he was again, bracing himself for the judgmental outburst. Waiting for the boy to tear into him and demand answers. He had every right to. He'd been unwilling dragged into this and had been nearly killed because of it.

But the outburst never came.

Phineas finally broke eye contact and looked down at his lap as he swallowed, letting his saliva try to soothe his sore throat. It was a lot to take in. And he was grateful for the platypus beside him, a firm but gentle paw on his shoulder, still gently rubbing circles to calm him from the stressful ordeal. He recalled once feeling a different set of emotions, ones linked to the confusing memories that swirled in his brain. He remembered being so angry. Feeling so betrayed at being lied to. Feeling like he never mattered.

But at that moment, he couldn't possibly feel any of those things. It was clear how important he was to the agent. He closed his eyes when he felt Perry brush aside his wet bangs, trying to coax a response out of him. He should be questioning everything that had just happened to him and why. Why he was remembering things he wasn't even sure had actually happened but seemed so real. The words spilled out before he had a chance to think them over.

"I know about all of this already, don't I?"

Perry blinked, not expecting that to be the response. He removed his hand from the boy's hair, chewing on the lower portion of his bill in worry.

"This… happened before, didn't it? Well… well not like this exact thing but… But something like it. Right?" Phineas finally looked up at him.

Perry stared at him a moment before sighing and slowly nodding. Phineas' memories from the alternate dimension escapade were surfacing. He had always been worried if there would be any side effects to the Amnesia-Inator. He hadn't counted on this being one of them.

The tide washed against them slowly, spilling over Phineas' lap and at Perry's feet and tail. Both of them looked down as the small waves brought with them a soaked 1940s fedora. The brim gently bumped against Phineas' knee and he carefully eased it out of the water, holding it in both his hands.

"…I'm not supposed to know, am I?" he asked, staring down at the hat.

Perry looked away; back out at the water where the trunk had driven off the dock. Phineas looked over to the spot as well, boxes still floating out in the bay.

"Yeah… I guess it's pretty obvious why."

Both were quiet for a long moment before police sirens in the distance broke them from their trance. Phineas sighed and looked back at Perry. The platypus still looked like he was expecting a lecture. But what he received was anything but. He tensed suddenly when Phineas reached forward to hug him.

"…. Thanks buddy."

Perry's body slowly relaxed, encircling his arms around the boy to return the gesture, utterly thankful he was okay. He wasn't exactly sure how O.W.C.A was going to handle all this. If Phineas had retained some of his memories, it meant the Amnesia-Inator wasn't a full proof option. And there was no way in hell he was ever leaving his boys. It just wasn't a threat he took seriously from the organization anymore, because he would quit before he would let it happen. His job was important… but Phineas and Ferb were even more so. Perry decided they would cross that bridge when they drove a truck off it. Right now he was sure the rest of their family was sick with worry.

Phineas pulled himself to his feet and out of the water, albeit with shaky knees. "So…" he flipped the fedora around in his hands, admiring the worn leather. Printed letters on the inside made the red head smile. "Agent P, huh?"

Perry smirked with a small salute, his other arm around the boy's side to keep him steady as they waded out of the water and onto the beach. "Well…" Phineas plopped the wet hat back onto the platypus' head. "What happens now, Agent?"

Perry pulled out a soggy pamphlet and handed it to Phineas as they walked up the beach. The boy looked down at the O.W.C.A insigna across the front, another memory of the same paper flashing though his mind.

He smirked, wadding up the soaked paper and tossing it over his shoulder. "I don't want your pamphlet."

The agent chattered in response, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. He should have figured that much would stay the same.


	8. Defense

**A/N: A very nice commentor asked if I took fic requests and though you are more than welcome to send me ideas, there is no guarantee I will write them. But hey if I do like it, I just might ^^ **

**Yarthayaj'knaushtavdhladleklwa**** asked if I could write a scenario where Phineas beats up Isabella's stalker. I love a good damsel in distress scene as much as the next fangirl, but... the prompt really doesn't fit with my personification of the characters and how the show portrays them. So I warped the outcome a bit ^_^ It was also a nice chance to write out my thoughts concerning their college life, so most of this chapter is fun headcanon fluff lol**

__**_Defense_**

Thursday evening found Phineas and Isabella lounging in their studio apartment. Their second college semester was in full swing and it was actually refreshing for the pair to be back into a routine after winter break. There was nothing quite like going home for the holidays… to remind them why they chose a school more than a few hours away.

Their first semester had been spent in the dorms and a sorority. But Phineas had scared away three roommates with his inventions taking over the small shared space and Isabella worried her I.Q. was in danger around that much hairspray and gossip. They didn't think they would last another semester living like that. The solution was obvious to them, of course.

When the semester was almost finished, Phineas and Isabella approached their parents with the idea of looking into the apartment complexes just off the campus. A place they could share. Together. What followed were several long and involved discussions. A term paper about how it would actually save money because college living plans were a rip off and a joke. Multiple reminders that they were star students with a number of awards and scholarships. A thriving bank account thanks to the paid summer internship at _STARK INDUSTRIES_ that Phineas and Ferb had taken. And the inevitable whining and complaining that they had more than proven how responsible and devoted they were in their four year long relationship.

After finally getting their parents to co-sign a lease, the college freshmen found what they now lovingly referred to as their 'nook'. The apartment was indeed shoe-box level, but with a few pointers from Ferb, a master at maximizing space; it had become a wonderfully cozy home. And even they were impressed with themselves when they found how easy it was to live together. After their scare of living with people on campus, there had been the initial worry that they wouldn't be compatible roommates which would in turn damage their relationship. But they were naturally tidy people who knew one another in and out. Both liked to cook. Both were morning people. Phineas' solar panels and Isabella's window sill herb garden on the itty bitty balcony made the space 'green' and saved on bills. The semester was only in its third week and already Phineas and Isabella felt less stressed and like real, budding adults.

Phineas was currently sprawled out on his back on the bed, Isabella draped across his lap as she typed away on the laptop he built for her. Her Chihuahua was curled up on the backs of her legs in the dip her knees made. She was writing a paper and he was taking a mental break from his own homework. He liked to drink in moments like this. The sound of her typing and Pinky's little snores. The small drizzle outside tapping against the sliding glass patio door. The perfect tranquility and how natural it all felt.

He loved their little apartment. How Isabella liked having lots of plants to make the air smell nice and less stuffy. How she didn't mind that he wanted to incorporate his inventions into every aspect of their living quarters. How she would slip into speaking Spanish when talking to her father on the phone. When she would listen to him talk about missing Ferb while his brother was taking a year abroad in England. They balanced each other so well and even though they had been dating all through high school, he felt like he was falling in love all over again now that they lived together.

Just thinking about how happy he was made him stare at her, his hand reaching over to move some of her raven hair aside so he could see how her face scrunched up when she wrote. She reflexively leaned into his touch without taking her eyes off the screen. But it wasn't enough for Phineas. He wanted her attention on him.

"IIIIIIzzie."

She didn't respond, her lips moving as she silently proof read the last paragraph she wrote.

"IIIIIIIIIIIIzzie…"

"Whaaaaaaat," she mocked his sing-songy tone, still not looking over at him as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"I'm trying to distraaaaact you."

"I can seeee that."

"Then be distraaaaacted."

"Phineas," she finally broke her constant stare at the laptop to look at him. But any straight face she had been holding was instantly broken at the sight of his puppy dog eyes and pouted lower lip. She snorted a laugh. "You're pathetic."

"Come over here and be pathetic with me," he cooed sitting up to wrap his arms around her. Their movement made Pinky spring up from his spot, jumping off his owner in favor of his frilly pink dog bed on the floor. He rolled his eyes at their antics as he turned circles and settled down with his back to them.

Isabella giggled as she was wrapped up in Phineas' embrace; the sleeves of his over sized rusted orange hoodie made her feel like he was covering her in a blanket. She hummed contently as he pecked at her cheek with multiple butterfly kisses. "Mmm… as nice as this is, I really gotta finish this paper babe."

"Aww…" he pouted, claiming one long kiss on her lips before he relented. "Okay," he nuzzled her, "I'll make a snack."

Isabella beamed, rewarding his understanding with a kiss to his pointed nose. "Oreos and peanut butter?"

"If it's what my lady wants," he pushed himself off the bed, walking over to their little kitchenette.

"Thaaank you, Crumbcake!" she sat cross legged in the center of the bed, going back to her typing.

"Oh baby, don't break out the pet names and expect me to contain myself," Phineas snickered as he rummaged around the cabinets. "So why the rush on the paper? Tomorrow's Friday. What kind of sick sadistic professor do you have that makes a paper due _before_ the weekend?"

"It's not due tomorrow, I just want to turn it in early."

"Said no college student ever," Phineas laughed as he started to spread creamy peanut butter on the tops of a few Oreos.

"Har har," she smirked over her shoulder at him. "Actually I'm just trying to avoid the TA. Tomorrow's a lab day so if I finished the paper tonight and hand it in, I don't have to spend two hours in the same room with him."

"Why? What's his problem?" Phineas raised a brow. It wasn't often his girlfriend didn't get along with someone. Or at least wasn't able to tolerate them. Buford was one of their best friends after all.

"I dunno," she shrugged, "He's like always leaning over my computer chair. And showing me how to use a program I already know how to use, even when I tell him it's cool, I got this. And just constantly hovering around me. He's kind of a creep."

Isbaella's words made Phineas' hand slip, buttering his thumb instead of the cookie. "He does what now?" he looked over at her, his eyes slightly narrowed.

"He's just generally annoying."

"Is he 'generally annoying' to everyone, or just you?" Phineas asked, using a napkin to clean his hand, all the while not looking away from Isabella.

Isabella sighed and leaned back on her hands, lazily looking over at her boyfriend. "Should I have not said something, Phineas?"

"More like you should have said something sooner!" Phineas tossed the butter knife in the sink. It was incredibly obvious to him what this stranger's motivations were. "Have you told this jerk to back off?"

Isabella smirked, watching Phineas' pale skin redden a bit, making his freckles stand out. "Awww… you are adorable in that shade of jealousy."

"I am not jealous," he huffed, "I don't have to be jealous. I'm… concerned."

Isabella's grin only widened. She had never seen her boyfriend so flustered. At least not at the news that someone else might be vying for her attention. It was kind of a nice twist considering how a good majority of her childhood had been spent chasing him. But he was right; he had never had a reason to be jealous. Everyone that knew them knew they were a couple. But this was college. And there were lots of people that didn't know them. "Relax Phineas, he's harmless. And I can't help but notice how there is no cookie in my hand right now."

Phineas rolled his eyes at her outstretched hand, but picked up the plate of snacks and walked back over to the bed, sitting on the edge of it beside her. "But if he's bothering you, you'd tell me. Right?"

"My Knight in Titanium Alloy Armor would be the first to know if I needed rescuing," she teased, nuzzling her nose to his as she plucked a cookie off the plate. "I've got The Beak's number, remember?"

For a moment, Phineas seemed pacified, accepting her nuzzles and taking a cookie for himself. She returned to her paper and he was quiet for a few minutes as they ate their snack. But it was soon very obvious to Isabella that Phineas was over thinking the topic.

"Now when you say he hovers-"

"Oh for Pete's sake!" she laughed, closing her laptop. "Phineas. It's not that big of a deal. If he made me that uncomfortable, I would say something," she reassured, crawling over to him to slide her arms around his shoulders from behind.

"Maybe I should walk you to class…"

Isabella rolled her eyes with a smirk, "What? Show him I'm claimed territory?"

Phineas frowned, but leaned back into her embrace. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you didn't," she kissed his cheek. "I'm just teasing. I know you just want to defend my honor."

He chuckled, resting his hand on her thigh. "Well… you are very honorable." He sighed, relaxing a bit more. "Sorry about that."

"About what?" she brushed her cheek against his. "About being worried about me? Or being jealous? I think it's sweet. You've got nothing to worry about though," she purred. "His head is way too round for my liking."

"You brat," Phineas snickered turning around to attack her sides with tickles. She shrieked in glee, releasing her hold on him in favor of darting over the bed, making him lunge for her. It quickly turned into a game of chase around their tiny apartment. A game played a few times a week at least and that often paralleled a game of tonsil hockey. But before that night's game could go into overtime, both of them remembered they had homework to finish. Isabella returned to her laptop while Phineas pulled down his own work station he had built into the wall much like a hideaway bed. A tap at the sliding glass door to the balcony stopped Phineas before he sat down.

Pinky reacted first, but not in the way any normal dog would. Instead of barking and alerting the occupants of the room that there was a sound they should know about, the Chihuahua sat up in his bed and stretched before walking over to the door. He jumped up onto one of the breakfast bar stools so he could unlock the latch, letting the visitor slide it open. Perry the Platypus chattered a thank you up at his friend as he stepped inside, slipping off his fedora and tucking it away for the night. The monotreme dropped to all four and shook off the drizzle from his water resistant fur.

"Hey pal, you were out late tonight," Phineas commented, going to the kitchen to open a can of tuna for his pet and dump it into his food dish. "Extra dose of crime and villainy back in Danville?"

Perry squawked and cracked his back. It had indeed been a long night and he couldn't help but think he was getting too old for all this daring do. Ever since Phineas and Ferb had once again found out his identity when they were pre-teens, they helped keep Perry in top fighting condition, developing several serums that kept their pet feeling young and fit as well as prolonging his life. By all accounts he should be as active as a foot stool at his age. Or dead.

It was one of the many reasons the O.W.C.A had allowed them to keep their memories. Especially after Carl took over a good majority of the organization when Major Monogram had retired. Letting Phineas and Ferb help him develop technology that pushed the O.W.C.A into a new era, the boys were a valued resource. And valued resources were not in danger of losing their beloved platypus just because they knew he was a secret agent.

But Perry showed few signs of slowing down. Doofenschmirtz Evil Incorporated was still pumping out inators every now and then, and Perry couldn't see himself completely giving up the thrill of the fight just yet. Even if he had hoped that moving out of the Tri-State Area with Phineas would help curb it slightly. One part of him didn't want to admit he was old, while the other longed for the lap of luxury as a house pet. Regardless, he still took regular jet packed trips back to Danville.

Pinky had long since retired from the field and stuck to desk work at the O.W.C.A. Eight years was past the prime for canine agents and he'd developed arthritis. During high school, Isabella had stumbled upon one of the back yard entrances and her boyfriend and his brother working in Perry's lair. Which lead to her finding out Pinky was an O.W.C.A agent as well. Isabella too had been allowed to keep her memories, though it had taken Phineas threatening Carl with a monkey wrench if he even thought of tampering with his girlfriend's brain.

But even though both animal agents found themselves still active in the organization, whatever the task, they would readily admit these days they preferred their pet role. It had been awkward at first when their owners found out about their double lives. The hardest part for Perry to adapt to was Phineas and Ferb not initially knowing how to treat him. For the first few weeks and when they weren't around other family members, they tried to act as if he were just another human. And it took some time before Perry admitted he missed being a pet. He missed being scooped up and cuddled and carried around the house. He missed belly rubs and curling up beside his owners at night. He even missed Phineas' incessant baby talk and asking him 'whosa good boy?!'

He was. He was a good boy, damnit. And Perry wasn't going to lose that treasured part of his life. So he made it a rule that the fedora stayed off when he wasn't on duty. And after a few times of rubbing up against their ankles and returning to his post on their beds, Phineas and Ferb took the hint. Though both enjoyed working on gadgets and playing the odd game of chess with their platypus, they were all too happy to balance it out with 'pet time' and find a comfortable middle ground that pleased both parties.

Which was currently the case as Perry ran the length of his body against Phineas' pant leg, arching his back up into the boy's hand as he was stroked. He dove into his meal when Phineas set the dish down, purring contently as his owner pet him while he ate. He glanced to the side as Pinky sat beside Phineas as well, tail wagging as he cast his impossibly large eyes up at the red head and then over at the jar of peanut butter that had been left out. Phineas chuckled, "Alright boy, but just a spoonful."

Perry watched his owner scoop a little bit of the treat out into Pinky's dish that was set beside his own. He hadn't initially thought he'd like living with another pet, let alone another agent. He wasn't very good at sharing his owners. But then again, neither was Pinky. True to his breed, the dog was very possessive of Isabella. Working together was one thing. But when they were home? What was the protocol? At first, they had an unspoken agreement that each other's owners were off limits. But the longer they spent time with one another, the more a mutual respect came about. Now it wasn't uncommon to see Pinky curled up on Phineas' sneakers as he worked at his computer. Or Perry tucked up against the small of Isabella's back when she napped between classes. Living together hadn't turned out to be such a difficult thing after all. Especially on their days off when they could sit and watch soap operas together or play cards. It was nice to have another intelligent animal around who also knew the stress of life as a secret agent.

Perry finished his meal and took a moment to groom his damp fur, preening the base of his tail with the edge of his bill. With Phineas' attention on Pinky, the platypus sought out the free lap over on the bed. He bounded up onto the mattress, slinking under Isabella's arm and into the perfect cradle her crossed legs made. He purred as her manicured nails ran through his fur.

"Maybe Pinky could hide in your bag and growl at the TA whenever he gets too close until he gets the hint," Phineas suggested, leaning against the counter and watching the dog continually smack his jaws together in response to a mouth full of peanut butter.

"Riding in purses is so beneath my dog," Isabella smirked, still typing away.

"Then Perry can do it."

The platypus opened one eye and looked over at his owner. He was unsure the context of this conversation, but he wanted it made clear that he was not an accessory.

Isabella laughed. "What's Perry gonna do?"

Phineas shrugged with a smirk. "He's poisonous you know…"

Isabella rolled her eyes, but was still smiling as she reached down to cuddle the monotreme. "Perry, tell Phineas he's over reacting."

"Grrkrrgrrkrr…"

"See? He agrees with me."

"You always take her side," Phineas joked before sitting down at his own computer to work as well. He put on some music and the two of them focused on their tasks for a few hours. Isabella finally leaned back and stretched, closing her laptop.

"Finish?" her boyfriend yawned, putting his tablet pen down and saving the blueprints he'd been working on.

"Just about. I want one of my classmates to give me some feedback on it, but at least I shouldn't have to stay the whole class period," she yawned as well, his yawn being contagious.

"Well, text me when you're getting out of class, I'll come meet you and we'll grab some food," he insisted, closing up his work station. Isabella nodded in agreement before they went about their normal nightly rituals. She turned off the lights, flopping onto her side and hugging her pillow, smiling when she felt him slide into the bed behind her. Phineas curled his arm around her center and nestled himself against the dip between her shoulder and neck, breathing in her scent as they relaxed. With a Chihuahua lounging on the pillow above their heads and a platypus snuggled up against the back of his leg, it was another perfect moment Phineas wanted to enjoying before he fell asleep.

-

Perhaps she should have put the platypus in her bag that morning.

Isabella sighed as she shrugged herself deeper into the collar of her cardigan, trying to look invisible as the teacher's assistant leaned over her to reach her keyboard. "I can uh… edit the paragraph myself, Ryan."

"Well here, let me at least show you how the formatting should look," he smirked, setting his hand on the computer mouse on top of hers.

That was enough for Isabella. She wasn't a confrontational person, but the conversation with Phineas the night before made her realize the unwanted attention probably wasn't going to end unless she said something. "I can do it myself," she said sternly and pulled her hand away from his and sat up straight to force his body away from her space. "I don't need your help."

Her words and movement were enough to garnish a reaction from the boy this time. "Whoa," Ryan scoffed, but kept his smirk as he leaned against the desk. "Cool it, Isabella. I'm just trying to help you."

"No, you're really not," she stayed firm, saving her computer file onto her flash drive. "You've had nothing constructive to say about my paper, you've just been nitpicking punctuation for the last twenty minutes."

"I know what the professor is look-

"Ryan…" she made direct eye contact with him. "You've been hanging all over me for a week now. I'm not stupid. And my general dismissive attitude to your blatant come ons is apparently not clear enough to tell you that I'm not interested. So I'm just going to say it. I'm not interested."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at her, still leaning against the desk as he folded his arms. He wasn't a bad looking individual. Someone who was a little more than used to getting things his way and definitely not used to his advances being unwanted. "Well you're not really giving me a fair chance."

Isabella half laughed as she packed her stuff into her bag. "I'm not really required to give you a fair chance if I'm not interested."

Trying to save face, Ryan rolled his shoulders and stood up straighter. "Well let me take you to dinner. Change your mind about me."

"No thank you," she slung her bag onto her shoulder as she got up from her seat. By this time, a few other students in the lab were looking over at the unfolding drama.

Ryan glanced briefly at the other sets of eyes watching him flounder. He quickly switched gears. Now his confidence and opinion of himself meant much more than any attraction he had felt towards Isabella. "Sheesh. You don't have to be a bitch about it," he chuckled, looking to the rest of the class as if they were to back him up against her negative reaction.

Isabella froze mid step towards the door, slowly turning to glare at the boy who had insulted her. She tensed, fists balling up. She opened her mouth, intent on laying into Ryan when her name was called from the doorway.

"Izzie?"

All eyes turned to the door, a tall red head in a rust colored hoodie walking into the room. Phineas' smile at seeing his girlfriend slowly melted when he picked up on the tense atmosphere in the room. One look at the boy Isabella's venomous glare was directed at and he felt his own eyes narrow. "Is that the guy?"

Isabella's look softened as she turned to Phineas, a little surprised as his demeanor warped right in front of her. She had seen him mad before, plenty of times. Phineas wasn't incapable of anger. But she hadn't ever seen him get so… defensive. She was reminded of a woodland animal, a small creature that would puff itself up to make itself look larger and more intimidating than it really was. Which did not put her at ease. Ryan had an athlete's build. Phineas had the build of…well… Phineas.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go," she said softly, reaching to take his arm.

"Well you didn't tell me you were already dating someone," Ryan put his hands on his hips, feeling like her brush off of him was slightly more justified simply because she was already spoken for by another.

But that only made Phineas' seethe more, hackles raised as he took a step towards Ryan and away from Isabella's grip. "Izzie, if this cretin is bothering you…"

"The hell did you just call me?"

"You heard me…"

"Phineas!"

"No, I'm actually not sure what you just called me. What does that mean? I mean I know it's not good given the context, but I've never heard that word before."

Isabella rolled her eyes and tugged on Phineas' arm, wanting to get away from the escalating situation. But her boyfriend was having none of it, gently shrugging out of her grip to make his way over to Ryan. "If I hear again you've been making her uncomfortable…"

Ryan snickered at the engineering student before him, a gangly thing that was all limbs. There was really nothing to Phineas to back up his threat. "Okay bud, I get it. Your bitch is off limits."

The room gasped as the first punch was thrown, Phineas' knuckles barely brushing against Ryan's chin. The TA's reflexes were much faster as he stepped back out of the way. Before the red head could recover from his awkward move, Ryan caught the sleeve of his hoodie, pulling back and sending his own punch directly into Phineas' face.

Phineas stumbled back, but Ryan's hand grabbed the front of his hoodie, pulling him back for another hit. A hit that never came. His world was a bit blurry, but Phineas watched as Isabella's elbow came down hard on the bend in Ryan's arm, making him release his hold on her boyfriend. A quick upper cut from the heel of her palm broke Ryan's nose. When he went to grasp at his bleeding face her knee connected with his gut, sending him doubling over with pain radiating from three sections of his body.

Phineas stepped back, one hand over his quickly blackening eye as he watched Ryan crumble to the floor and Isabella calmly pick up her bag. The rest of the class was mostly speechless, a few colorful words whispered in shock at what they had just witnessed, one of the girls muttering a 'right on!'

Isabella said nothing as she gently took Phineas' arm again and led him out of the computer lab as he kept glancing back at the moaning Ryan on the floor. The red head couldn't say he was surprised by the outcome. His girlfriend had more than several different kinds of self defense and hand to hand combat patches from her days as a Fireside Girl. Talents she had apparently been keeping sharp after all those years. He would definitely remember that.

"I-I didn't handle that correctly, did I?" Phineas winced as Isabella sat him down on a bench once they reached the quad, her hands at his cheek as she looked over his swollen eye.

"I think I have a 'You Tried' sticker somewhere in my scrap booking collection," she smiled as her thumb stroked his cheek.

"Is this a case of 'It's the thought that counts'?" he murmured, gritting his teeth in embarrassment.

"Yes. Yes it is," she kissed his good cheek. "Let's go get you some ice, baby."


	9. Feeling of Home

**A/N: A very short little drabble that's sort of a sequel to the last fic. I'm all hopped up on drugs (I currently have pneumonia) so it's probably awful. But it covers some of my headcanons so whatev! Another A/N at the bottom!**

_**Feeling of Home  
**_

"-and then she broke his nose," Phineas blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as he re-told the story for his friend. Baljeet just chuckled, sitting across from him in the cozy little coffee house as the rain came down outside. It was Sunday and their favorite java hut was a pleasant retreat from the weather, a smattering of headphoned students milling about on their tablets and laptops as smooth alternative music flowed through the small space.

Baljeet had already graduated college early, but he was working on his doctorate and teaching a robotics class on Phineas and Isabella's campus. This gave the childhood friends many an opportunity to keep in touch. And as Phineas recounted that Friday's incident, complete with a dulling black eye, Baljeet couldn't help but be amused. "I would have paid good money to see that."

"Yeah he went down pretty hard. Izzie's right hook is a force to be reckoned with," Phineas cleared his throat, folding his hands on top of the table. Though there was an obvious smile at the corners of his mouth. The red head may have acted embarrassed, but it was obvious he wasn't too put off at the fact that his girlfriend had beaten someone up for him. Even when he had been trying to beat that someone up for her.

"You will find it is rather nice to have a little power in your back pocket, Phineas," Baljeet smirked, adjusting his scarf. "To have a mate that is protective can actually be a blessing."

"You should know, I suppose," Phineas chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "So how are you two?"

"Oh it is the same old, same old," Baljeet shrugged. "But it is a welcome comfort to be in such a rut. I was becoming over whelmed with work during the fall, you know. It is nice to just… have a pattern."

"I know what you mean," Phineas smiled fondly at his friend. "Any plans to move in together?"

"Goodness no!" Baljeet laughed, making Phineas laugh as well. "Why on Earth would you even suggest it?"

"Okay, okay," Phineas held his hands up in defense, still laughing. "I should know better."

"We are not like you and Isabella. We would absolutely murder one another," Baljeet's shoulders shook with another laugh. "No, no… we like our own space. It works best that way."

"That makes sense," the red head nodded, his expression softening. "But it is nice to see you happy for once. I know it was rough there for awhile with the arranged marriage."

"It was never what she wanted," Baljeet waved him off. "I cared too much for Mishti to let her go through with something I knew she would always regret. And even though she would never admit it, I feared if we had gotten married she may have eventually started to resent me. I could not bear to ever let that happen."

"You're a good friend, Baljeet," Phineas reached over to pat the top of his dark skinned hand. "And you know… it wasn't what you needed either." He knew Baljeet had cared a lot for the woman. But it was never love. Any of them could see that.

Baljeet merely nodded, staring out the window at the rain. Phineas had been right. His relationship with Ginger in high school had more love and passion than his engagement to Mishti ever did. The move to call off the wedding had indeed created a lot of tension in his family. More so Mishti's then his own. He had always had loving parents who had adapted to more of a Western view on the world. He was thankful for their acceptance and his more modern upbringing. They loved him regardless of his decisions.

Baljeet looked back when the booth dipped a bit from the weight of another sitting beside him. An arm slid around his shoulders and a Pumpkin Spice Latte was set down in front of him.

"Here babe," Buford leaned over, placing a gentle kiss to the side of Baljeet's temple, making the boy beam in satisfaction and accept the offered treat. Buford nodded in Phineas' direction. "Nice shiner, Dinner Bell."

"You should see the other guy," the red head chuckled.

"Isabella was telling me how she wailed on him," Buford grinned. "That's our girl."

"Says someone who has been on the receiving end of those fists before," Baljeet hummed, sipping his drink.

"I deserved it," Buford shrugged.

"You sure did." The group looked up as Isabella walked over with her own set of drinks for her and Phineas. "You know if you piss him off, all Baljeet has to do is text me."

"Lookit you, running a little personal body guard business over here," Buford smirked at his boyfriend, Baljeet rolling his eyes mid sip, but still leaning his head against the larger man's shoulder. "I dunno whether to be appalled or proud."

"Speaking of texting," Phineas reached into his back pocket as his phone buzzed. "Oh sweet it's Ferb! I'm gonna holo-call him so he can sit in," he quickly texted his brother back. He set his phone down in the middle of the table and activated an app the two of them had created. Soon enough, the phone projected an image of his brother's upper body right above the device. The image fizzled a bit as Ferb adjusted his own phone and settled into his seat, waving to the group who all greeted him excitedly.

"Phineas, what happened to your face?" Ferb raised a brow.

"What? You don't like my new shade of eye shadow?" Phineas folded his arms in a mock pout.

"The smoky look does not work with your complexion," Baljeet teased.

The group laughed before explaining the fight that had happened on Friday with Isabella's TA. And even though they were recounting his failed attempt at being macho, Phineas couldn't be more content. Ferb wouldn't be home from the United Kingdom until spring. Baljeet and Buford lived forty-five minutes away. Situations where they were all in the same room, even via hologram projection, were few these days.

It was incredibly refreshing to be around his old core group of friends. To feel that sense of security he had always had around them. If he had to pick a word to describe the feeling, he would chose 'home'. Because nothing felt more like home than how much they all knew each other and were proud of one another's accomplishments. They had all been through so much together during their childhood, but none of it was ever as hard as growing up and not having one another right down the street.

And so he would cherish this moment of 'home'. Listen to his friends' laughter. And admire how even though relationships had changed within the group… The group stayed the same.

**A/N: So yes, I ship Baljeet and Buford lol. Though both are bisexual in my headcanon. I'll probably touch on it again later. **


End file.
